The Dragon's Den
by allthestarsandplanets
Summary: Merlin finds Morgana, after two long years in the darkness.
1. Chapter 1

Darkness. There was nothing but the dark, and the screams that rang in her ears. Some of them were her own, some were Aithusa's. Who'd have thought, Morgana the Mighty scared of the dark. He'd come down to visit daily. The thought filled her with dread. They were even worse than being left alone. The abuse that followed filled her with rage, but she refused to use her magic to help herself, for fear he would hurt Aithusa more than he already had. Morgana hadn't seen the sky for two years.

"Witch, you deserve nothing better. You should be grateful to be hidden away. You disgust the foulest of creatures, for they are beautiful compared to you. You will never leave this place. Eventually you will die here. I will be the only voice you hear, ever again. The last face you see."

It felt as though the Sarrum's words bruised her, because there was truth in them. How would she ever leave this place? There was no hope.

The days turned into weeks. There was a strict routine. One visit daily, maybe an hour of abuse, physical and verbal, then she would be left alone. Sometimes she cried. Aithusa always did. The poor creature needed more room to grow, as a plant would.

Weeks turned into months.

Still no hope.

Until one day, something changed.

The Sarrum had left for the day. Morgana was bitterly tired. Her head felt too heavy for her shoulders. And then, something miraculous happened. The roof above her was lifted off. She looked up. Maybe this was dying? Her eyes were screaming to be shut, the brightness was so intense, but she didn't want to stop seeing this light. Aithusa raised her head, and opened her wings, slightly. She looked back at Morgana.

"Go" she croaked.

Aithusa stared at her, for a few seconds, and then affectionately nudged Morgana with her nose.

She flew into the light, fading into a black smudge and then disappearing altogether.

A voice was calling to her, down the well.

'Morgana? Oh god.' He sounded so far away. Her eyes were so heavy. She felt herself being lifted, as though she was being carried, a pull on the shackles on her hands, and they were free. In her foggy state she realised no one had been lifting her, only once she had crumpled into someone's arms.

•••

Morgana woke up in a bed. She took a deep breath. The air was fresh. The first fresh air she had breathed in two years. What had happened? She turned slowly to look around the room. And she saw the man who had saved her.

"You!" she croaked angrily at him.

Merlin grimaced. She made a weak attempt at getting out of bed. Sharp pain ran up her left side, and she gasped. He rushed over, and she began to protest. She had never felt so feeble. She sighed, giving in without a struggle, letting him prop her up on a pile of pillows.

"You should have a drink of water," he suggested, offering her a flask brimming with water.

She eyeballed him.

"Is that supposed to be funny Merlin?" she wheezed at him.

"No, it's really-"

She grabbed the flask from him and drank, gulping down as much as she could.

"Remember to breath!" he pulled the flask away from her again.

They were silent for a minute.

"Where's Aithusa? I have to see her. Please."

"I don't know if you're up to walking?"

Morgana was already trying to escape the blankets again.

"_Please?"_

Merlin sighed. "Alright, we can try."

He ended up almost carrying her. She insisted on having her feet on the ground, but he supported her weight with his arm around her waist and hers gripping his shoulders. It wasn't until later he realised she didn't have any fingernails.

They were at the mouth of a cave, high above the treetops. The sun was setting on the horizon. Two dots grew slowly closer to Merlin and Morgana, and as they watched, their shapes became clearer. There were two dragons, one big and one small. The small one flew above the back of the larger, and flapped clumsily, but remained airborne. When it saw Morgana it squeaked excitedly and fell from the air, landing on its head on the older dragon's back. There was a confused squeal, and Merlin and Morgana laughed. His laugh was merry, hers tortured, but a laugh all the same. Morgana realised it was the first time she had laughed properly for far longer than she had been locked away. She hadn't laughed in seven, eight years.

The dragons soared over their heads.

"Time to go back inside?" Merlin asked.

She nodded.

•••

Morgana was sleeping. Merlin buried his head in his hands. She was very ill. Her skin was grey, and the veins underneath were visible. Deep cuts and bruises ran up along her arms, showing no signs of stopping where her dress covered the skin on her back and legs. There were dark rings under her eyes, and dirt in her hair, and on her face. It would be a long road to recovery, but it was a road he was prepared to travel along with her. He knew he could fix her. He could fix her trust in him; show her everything that magic could be. The Morgana he had known was still in there somewhere. The Morgana he had fallen in love with so many years ago hadn't been lost yet. Merlin knew he could find her.

**What do we think? Should I leave it as a short little story, or turn it into a longer one? I thought either might work, I'll leave it up to you to decide.**

**•••**

_Wrote this after a lot of crying over today's news that there's not going to be another season of Merlin after season 5 ends! What will I do with my Sundays now?! It's been amazing, and I only really realised today that the cast of Merlin, especially Colin Morgan and Katie McGrath will be the faces of my childhood forever. (I think I might be crying again)._

_****EDIT*** Thanks to everyone for all your feedback so far! I was AMAZED at all the feedback I got, and I've decided to keep writing! Hopefully I'll have another chapter up in a week or so.**_

_**(Thank you also for pointing out that Merlin actually named Aithusa... Oops?! I think the only half decent excuse I have is that in my grief-stricken state I began to forget the original storyline... Or Merlin suffers from mild amnesia! I've edited that bit out now.) Xxx**_


	2. Chapter 2

"MERLIN!"

An angry yell woke him with a start. He hastily got out of bed and rounded the corner to where her bed was. Morgana was sitting up, hugging her knees, with an icy glare burning into him.

"You poisoned me."

Merlin sat down gingerly on the foot of her bed.

"You POSIONED me!" She shouted, and he jumped.

" I _trusted_ you! You and Gwen and Arthur. How could you? How could you do something like that to me? You were my friend!" she yelled at him. "You tried to kill me, and now you say you're _looking after me? _I don't believe you! I can't believe anything you say! I can't believe anything anyone says, ever again! I hate you!"

The flower Merlin had put into a jar on her bedside table burst into flames.

Morgana yelped and the flower extinguished itself.

They sat in silence. Merlin stared at the embers glowing in the pile of disintegrated flower petals.

He thought maybe she was crying, but he pretended not to notice. He didn't want to injure her pride any further.

"Go back to bed Merlin." She sighed, finally breaking the silence.

He got up slowly, and turned to walk away, before turning back.

"Morgana?"

She looked at him.

"I… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He turned and quickly walked away. Now he was the one who was crying.

When Morgana woke again in the morning there was a fresh blue flower in the jar next to her bed, leaning over a small pile of ashes.

•••

In the weeks that followed, Morgana and Merlin had the same conversation every night. Every night she would call for him, and he would appear a minute later, sit on the foot of her bed, and let her yell at him. When she was done, he'd apologise and leave.

In the morning, anything she'd broken, or set fire to would be replaced, brand new.

By day Morgana could tell he was trying to keep her happy. They had a few awkward conversations. He demonstrated his juggling skills to her, with some apples. That made her laugh again, especially when he dropped them and had to go diving under the bed to retrieve them. It reminded her briefly of her friend Merlin, before everything had gone wrong.

He tried to heal her. She knew there were deep cuts running up her back that would be in need of treatment soon. She hadn't told him about those yet. So far she had only let him apply an ointment to prevent her fingers from becoming infected where the nails had been torn away, and wash the scratches on her arms.

"What are these from?" He had asked.

It stang and she winced. Aithusa had scratched her. She knew she hadn't meant it; the poor creature had been in pain. Morgana had bitten her lip as tears prickled in the corners of her eyes. She wasn't about to cry while he was watching.

Late one afternoon, an excited Merlin bounded around the corner from the exit of the cave.

"I've got a surprise!" He beamed.

His smile was infectious.

"What is it?" she asked, trying not to smile back.

He sat down on the foot of her bed, smiling expectantly at the exit. Morgana crawled slowly out of bed and settled down next to him, bemused.

Around the corner came Aithusa.

She walked cautiously, trying not to knock things over. Looking around, she saw Morgana and squealed in delight and ran over to her, forgetting to be careful, and knocking over a mirror, breaking it.

Morgana didn't care. Aithusa looked much healthier. She would be forever twisted; her bones having grown the wrong shape, but she had began to grow to a more comfortable looking size.

"Aithusa," Morgana hugged the dragon. "Aithusa I'm so sorry."

Merlin watched the pair embrace. Morgana radiated happiness. He hadn't seen her so happy in a long time, in fact the only time in many years he had seen her happy at all was when she had seen Aithusa fly, a few weeks earlier. When she finally broke away, she turned around and hugged Merlin as well. He hadn't been expecting this. Suddenly she was the old Morgana again. Warm and compassionate. She pulled away, and focused back on Aithusa, murmuring to her. Then she was the tortured Morgana again. When she smiled, it wasn't fake, but it looked pained. She was the Morgana Merlin hadn't helped, when he could've – should've, all those years ago.

•••

The nightly 'conversations' continued. Morgana raged at him about his support for Arthur, how he had poisoned her, how he had killed Morgause, how he had betrayed her by not helping her. She fought him bitterly, punching, hitting biting, but he wouldn't fight back.

She realised one day that although everything she broke was replaced, he never healed the cuts and bruises she inflicted on him.

Finally, there came a night she didn't call for him. Merlin woke up as he was used to, and lay awake waiting for her to yell for him. It was silent. He frowned, got up and crept to the down the small corridor and peeked around the corner of the cave to where her bed was.

She was sitting cross-legged on the foot of the bed, watching him. He pulled back against the wall quickly. She was still quite terrifying when she wanted to be.

"Merlin."

Her voice cut through the air, but she wasn't yelling. Merlin took a deep breath and rounded the corner, smiling awkwardly.

She raised an eyebrow and he gulped.

"Do you want to sit down?" She asked.

He nodded, quickly sitting next to her.

"I've made a decision." She told him. "I've decided to forgive you. For everything that you did."

Merlin looked up in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes. And… I hope you can forgive me too." She added. "I realise for everything you did to me, I hurt you too. The only thing I cannot yet forgive you for is Morgause's death. She was my sister, and the first person I trusted completely, ever and since. You have no idea how hard it is to lose someone so important." She sniffed.

"I've lost people too." Merlin replied gently.

She stared at her lap.

"I'm sorry."

There was a long pause.

"Do you remember the time you strung me up from the ceiling?" He inquired.

"Yes." She couldn't help but smirk.

"Just checking."

There was another pause.

Morgana lay down on the bed.

"Lie next to me."

He did.

"How did you find me Merlin? The Sarrum locked me away in the dark."

"It was luck." He replied. "I was passing through Amata."

"How can it have been luck? I was hidden." She insisted.

He frowned. What should he tell her?

The truth was Merlin had been looking for her. He was prepared to search the five kingdoms, but he had had a hunch. The Sarrum was known for his hatred of magic. It had seemed as good a place as any to begin. He had snuck into the castle, followed the King to a dungeon of sorts. He had used magic to hide himself, under the King's nose and he had listened, hopelessly to Morgana crying. She had been pleading with the Sarrum to let her dragon go. Merlin had heard the Sarrum's laughter bouncing off the walls, and he had heard Aithusa's screams mix with Morgana's. He had waited in the darkness, listening. Once he heard the Sarrum leave, he had waited until Morgana's screams faded to crying. Eventually, even that faded away, and in the silence he had finally lifted the lid off of her prison and set her free.

How could he tell her that?

"Don't tell me then." She sighed. "But you will one day."

After a while, a deep sigh broke Merlin's train of thought. Morgana had fallen asleep next to him. Her face had softened, but she still looked exhausted. Dark rings sat under her eyes, and her clothes were in tatters. Her arms had improved, but her face and neck were still bruised, and her skin was almost translucent. He wondered how long it was since she had been in the sun.

An idea struck him. He knew what he could do for her. He got up quietly and rummaged through some of his bags. Finally he found what he had been looking for. It was a potato sack, as far as he knew, but he had brought it with them to carry any food he could gather and collect. His eyes flashed gold, three times. He smiled as he lay back down on the bed next to Morgana. Blue would suit her.

•••

_Thank you to everyone for all your positive feedback so far! It's pretty amazing! I've officially been writing for just over a month now! Bit of a milestone, thought I'd mention it. I've never been very good at creative writing. I think hopefully writing about something I love might change that a little. Tell me what you think! What do you think should happen next? Will update soon xx_


	3. Chapter 3

When Morgana woke up she knew several things were different.

For one thing, her… relationship? - With Merlin had changed considerably. This theory was strengthened by the fact that she was currently lying next to him, with her nose only an inch or two away from his.

She wasn't sure what her feelings for Merlin had become. A few months earlier she had hated him, for killing her sister and for trying to kill her. But all of a sudden she felt as though he had had a reason doing the things he had done. And she began to suspect he hadn't enjoyed nearly as much as she had convinced herself he had. It didn't make it OK. But it was a start.

She drifted in and out of sleep. Sometimes when she woke up, Merlin would be lying beside her. Other times he was gone, and she wondered blearily where he was. Finally she woke up properly. She groaned, propping herself up on one elbow she looked around the room to see Merlin sitting at the table, reading a book.

"You're awake!" he smiled at her.

She smiled back and sat up. God she hated the mornings. Her head felt muggy, and even though she had just woken up, she felt exhausted.

"Look what I found!" He said, bringing something over to her bed. When she looked at it properly, she realised it was a dress. It was blue, well, grey blue, and the material was much softer than the lacy black she wore. It was beautifully designed. She looked up at Merlin, astonished.

"Did you make this?"

"Kind of." He shrugged modestly. "It's for you."

She beamed at him. He turned around so she could put it on.

"You can turn around now." She said. It was incredible how perfectly it fit her.

"You look amazing." He grinned.

He helped her walk slowly to the table. He had made her something that vaguely resembled porridge. She ate gratefully, wishing her headache would go away.

She finally decided that day to let him treat her back.

"Oh god, Morgana?" He had exclaimed. He told her the cuts were deep, but miraculously not infected. He cleaned the wounds and applied another ointment, then offered to bandage it for her, but she insisted on doing it herself. It was a relief she admitted to herself.

The stinging reduced, replaced by a dull numbness.

"Anything else I should know about?" He asked her.

She considered this for a moment, and then lifted her new dress to reveal another deep wound on her leg.

Finally the pain had left her, and she felt stronger.

When he had finished, she gave him a long hug. She was beginning to feel human again.

•••

That night Merlin lay wide-awake. He was lying next to Morgana again. She slept restlessly, speaking softly to her dreams. He had earned back a little of Morgana's trust, but his 'big secret' so to speak could well break that fragile trust beyond repair. Magic. What would Gaius or Kilgharrah tell him?_ Darkness to his light, hatred to his love._ Merlin sighed. Actually their advice might not be very much to his liking. He presumed they would tell him to leave Morgana while she slept, and to flee. He glanced over at her. She was frowning, still murmuring incomprehensibly to herself. He couldn't leave her. Not now, not yet. He would think it over. Some day soon there would be a good opportunity to reveal his magic to her sometime soon. He dreaded her response. He nodded to himself. It's something he had to do, sooner or later.

Morgana pulled herself further down under the blanket, yelling out at an invisible enemy. Merlin gently propped her head back up on the pillow. He thought she seemed a bit more comfortable now. Although…He squinted at her in the dim light. A tear ran slowly down her cheek. She was crying in her sleep too. It struck him that she must still suffer the full effects of her nightmares. She no longer had her healing bracelet, or any of Gaius's sleeping draft. These had not shielded her completely from the terrors she faced when she went to sleep, but had diluted the pain somewhat. The Sarrum must have taken her bracelet from her. Merlin began to chant a spell under his breath, but then stopped himself. Morgana would notice if something were to change. She might begin to suspect him of sorcery and he couldn't allow that to happen yet. Already he had pushed the boundaries, presenting her with the dress. So he adjusted her blankets and she shifted a little closer to him as he rested his head back on the pillow.

'Someday soon Merlin,' he whispered to himself. 'Someday soon.'

What Merlin didn't realise as he drifted slowly off to sleep was that the time to reveal his magic to Morgana on his own terms, was swiftly running out.

•••

_Been trying to make chapters a little longer, but it's really hard! Also, so far I'm finding Morgana a much easier character to understand than Merlin (should i be worried?!). Any suggestions on anything are welcome :) Tell me what you think! xx_


	4. Chapter 4

_The woman roared, an angry sound, full of rage and hurt. 'How could you do this to me?' she screamed at him, and struck him across his face. He fell to his knees and she pushed him over backwards. Moving forward she knelt on his stomach. If her fingers had had nails, they would have been digging into his chest. Instead they pushed down into his skin. She stared at him._

_ 'How?' _

_'Please, I-'_

_'NO!' The woman yelled at him. Her eyes flashed golden, and there was a loud cracking noise, then he was still._

_Morgana was standing in the corner of the room, immobilised, watching the woman attack him, through a heavy white mist. She stretched her eyes, the only part of her that would move, to look at the body on the floor. The woman was still sitting on his chest, though he was obviously dead. Her mind raced furiously. She knew she knew the two people. She knew them very well. Could they be-_

Morgana woke with a gasp. She quickly thought back on her dream, assessing everything she had witnessed. She cursed. Their faces had already faded from her memory.

It was dark outside. She rose from the bed, quietly, so as not to disturb Merlin, and sat outside.

The moon shone brightly down onto her, illuminating her pale skin. She sat with her legs dangling off the edge of the cliff face. The cave was quite high up. She wondered for the first time how Merlin had gotten her up there. There was no obvious path, none that she could see anyway. She was glad of the moonlight. She had realised her fear of the dark quite soon after she had arrived at the cave, but had refrained from mentioning it to Merlin. The fear was a lot less extreme when there was someone with her. She felt her face twitch angrily. She hated the thought of being a victim. She had spent her youth that way, trapped inside Camelot, waiting for something to happen. The years she spent with the Sarrum had undeniably made her a victim. Now she was still suffering that trauma. Still a victim. Still though, there was hope. She had overcome everything else. She would overcome the latest hardships life had thrown at her. It was just much more difficult than she remembered. She tilted her head back to look at the stars. Instead, she saw two unmistakeable dark shapes gliding above her head. Aithusa and Kilgharrah flew through the sky above and she smiled.

She sat thinking for hours. When the sky began to pale, she realised it would soon be dawn. She slowly got to her feet and wandered back to her bed. Merlin lay peacefully on his stomach, hugging his pillow to himself. She smiled. He looked like a small child. She couldn't help herself. She affectionately tousled his hair before climbing in next to him.

•••

When she woke again, Morgana was not where she had been. No longer was she in her bed with Merlin. Instead, she back sitting in the darkness, her hands chained to the wall, Aithusa crying behind her. The Sarrum's voice boomed down at her, though she could not see him. There was a ringing in her ears, and her face stang as though she had just been struck. This pain paled in comparison, as Aithusa let out a scream of agony, which ripped through Morgana's chest, as though he had reached into her and clawed at her heart himself.

_'Morgana.'_

Aithusa screamed again, and Morgana screamed with her. There was nothing she could do to help her. Her hands were bound, and she dared not used her magic. This time something hit her, hard across her back. It was almost a relief. Aithusa was spared one more blow. 'You're nothing. You'll die here.'

_'Morgana?'_

'Alone in the darkness. Not even the rats want to come near you. You're a thing. A monster.' He hit her again. There was a pause, then Aithusa let out a howl of anguish. Morgana sobbed.

'_MORGANA!'_

She opened her eyes, and Merlin's face swam into view. He was leaning over her a worried expression on his face.

"Morgana?"

She grabbed him, pulled him down into a tight hug and wept into his shoulder. They stayed like that for a long time. His weight was squashing her chest, but it meant she didn't have to face the room around her. She had reduced her visual world so she didn't have to cope with it. He didn't say much. He stroked her hair, and returned her hug, but that was all.

When she finally finished crying, she made no attempt to break away. Finally he spoke.

'Do you want to talk about it?'

She hesitated, and then shook her head.

He nodded, and they were quiet again.

Already there was a little voice in the back of her head, criticising her. _Victim._ She ignored it. The little voice chanted louder and louder, rising to a shout and she continued to ignore it, until it finally became too loud to ignore anymore. She sighed and pushed Merlin away. They sat up. Her hand passed over her face, and then she rose shakily to her feet. The voice scoffed. Merlin got up too.

'I'll cook something.' He announced, and began to search through their makeshift cupboards.

'What happened Merlin?' she asked him hesitantly.

The voice in her head cursed.

'Well. Um. You were…screaming. And sort of, crying. And I thought it best to, maybe, um, help.' He stammered.

She felt herself blush.

'No! It's fine, really. You've been through a lot, and if anyone's going to have-err-that! That, happen it's - you're- I'll just- yeah.'

He broke off awkwardly, hastily continuing his inspection of the cupboard.

Morgana decided to go back to bed. She was trembling, and had the beginnings of a nasty headache.

She told Merlin what she was doing, half afraid he might try to forbid it. Instead he just smiled at her gently and told her if there were any trouble he'd wake her.

She returned his smile, gratefully, and hit with a wave of exhaustion, fell into bed and was asleep almost immediately.

_•••_

_Tell me what you think of this chapter! Leaving you hanging a little bit after the ending of the last chapter, hopefully not too much and not too little! If you have any suggestions or anything feel free to tell me._

_Will update soon x_

_P.S Who's watched 5x11? I'm very happy! _


	5. Chapter 5

Merlin sat quietly at the table, gnawing at the corner of a piece of stale bread. Morgana's nightmare had been different to the others he'd witnessed. There had been something hopeless about her. He could only assume it had had something to do with her imprisonment. Such horrific events couldn't be forgotten easily, nor should they be taken lightly by others. He imagined, knowing Morgana, that one day she would take revenge on the Sarrum, and all who had assisted him, or stood in her way. That was just the way she was. He doubted he could change her. She had been like that even when she was his Morgana, in Camelot. When Uther had murdered Gwen's father Merlin had began to realise the full extent of her anger. She truly was a force to be reckoned with. But for now she slept fairly soundly.

He sighed. When would he get his Morgana back? He missed her dearly. His hands passed over his face. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, but the patterns in the darkness changed into faces: His Morgana, this Morgana, Freya, Arthur, Gwen, Gaius. It was too much.

He had sacrificed a lot to be here with her. His absence from Camelot worried him a great deal, although it was a small comfort to know that Arthur had hired himself a 'temporary replacement.' Someone called George? Gaius had told this to him in a short letter Merlin had received some months ago. He had smiled reading it. Whoever this George was, he in for a treat. Serving the king was no small ask, as Merlin well knew. Dollophead. A pang of homesickness hit him.

'No.' he told himself. 'You need to be here, now. You've given up to much to give up.'

He really needed to get out of the cave. As soon as possible. It was almost dawn. A new day. Merlin nodded to himself, and got up, packing two rucksacks. Morgana had slept long enough. A trip outside would do them both a world of good.

•••

'Come on!' Merlin's voice rang through her dreams. 'Upsy Daisy!'

'Upsy what?' she grumbled, shrinking back beneath the blankets.

'We're going out.' He replied, pulling back the quilt off her again, and lifting her to her feet.

She leant her full weight on him.

'What time is it?' she mumbled sleepily.

'Time to go outside.' He said, sitting her down gently on the bed.

'Really?' her interest increased.

'Really!' he called from around the corner.

Morgana heard something crashing loudly from the kitchen.

'Really?!' she heard him shout again.

She got up and stumbled around the corner.

Aithusa was sitting on her haunches in the middle of the kitchen, surrounded by a pile of broken plates and spilt flour, looking very embarrassed for a little dragon.

Morgana laughed in delight, and ran to hug Aithusa, who returned her delighted squeal.

'Look at all this!' Merlin cried. He didn't seem angry, more astonished. 'How… How did you managed to break so many things at once?' he put his hands on his head. Morgana pouted up at him, still hugging her dragon.

'She didn't mean it.' She said, teasingly.

'It's… Even I couldn't break that many things at once.'

She laughed, standing up and hugging him. She felt light-hearted today, even though she had had little sleep, the…events, of her nightmarish memories had returned to haunt her only the night before.

'Anyway.' He said, returning them both to task at hand. 'I packed some things.' He handed her a rucksack and smiled.

'Let's go!'

•••

Morgana was very curious about how they would get off the mountain. Aithusa walked with them to the mouth of the cave, then leapt off the edge of the cliff. She peered gingerly off the edge, and saw the dragon flying haphazardly in the valley many feet below.

'Morgana.'

Merlin was standing on a rock just above her head. She looked up and saw an animal track leading up the mountain. He was offering her his hands.

She hesitated, then grabbed them and was pulled up onto the rock. He smiled at her, and then set to work climbing the next rock up. Morgana looked around, and took a deep breath. Things looked different, even one rock up. She felt like she was climbing away from another kind of prison, at least for a little while. The little voice in her head disagreed. '_You're climbing away _with _your prison.' _It told her. 'Shut up voice.' She thought back.

Merlin turned around, puzzled.

'Did you say something?'

'No. Why?'

'Oh. Never mind. Sorry. Here.'

He offered her his hands again.

She looked out over the valley. Aithusa was circling something far below. Although as she watched, the 'circle' appeared to be more like a figure eight. Or something. In fact she might've not even be circling. She might've just been stuck. Morgana laughed as they reached the third rock.

'What?' he panted.

'Look.' She pointed to the dragon.

He laughed too, and they stood as he regained his breath, watching the dragon lopsidedly fly in circles. Aithusa's confused squawking was audible from the rock, which made it even funnier.

The dragon must've heard their laughter. She awkwardly turned around and flew towards them, landing clumsily on the rock above them. She seemed to smile down at them.

'Hey!' She said.

Merlin and Morgana looked at each other in astonishment.

'Did she just-'

'Hey!'

'She did!'

They hurried up to where she sat proudly.

'Heeeey' she said as they reached her. She looked as though she were trying to be cool, but unable to contain her excitement at the attention she was getting.

Morgana laughed and threw her arms around Aithusa's neck.

'Hey!' Aithusa protested, before nudging her affectionately in return. Merlin got a nudge too, a little too enthusiastically though. It pushed him backwards. Thankfully he landed on something reasonably soft. He didn't seem to mind though; he looked almost as overjoyed as she felt.

'Hey?' Aithusa said, looking at her curiously.

'Aren't you happy Morgana?' he asked her.

'Of course I am! Why?'

'Because you're crying.'

She quickly put her hands up to her eyes and swore under her breath.

'I think I'm crying because I'm happy.' She told him. 'It's not all going to be so bad. Aithusa can learn to talk. At least that's… not my fault anymore.' She smiled at him.

'It wasn't your fault before.' He said earnestly.

They continued, Merlin climbing, then helping her up, followed by Aithusa who'd flap endlessly above them, chirping 'hey, hey, hey' loudly for all to hear.

Eventually Morgana realised while she had been drinking in the views from each new rock, they'd gradually began to descend. In fact the descent was beginning to get quite steep she peered over the edge of the rock she was standing on as Merlin jumped cautiously down to the next one. Below her was the whole valley. She could see the tops of the trees, and the path of the river winding between them, visible only as a place where trees were not.

Another five rocks down and the treetops were closer to her. The ground was muddy and slippery, and the rocks they were climbing down were smooth, without jagged edges to use as footholds.

She looked at Merlin. He smiled encouragingly. And then he slipped down off the rock and towards the trees below.

Morgana's eyes flashed gold and he floated back up to her eye level and hung in mid-air held up by the back of his neckerchief.

'You almost gave me a heart attack.' She told him accusingly.

'Sorry,' he gasped. 'That wasn't planned.'

'I should hope not.'

'Can you maybe put me down now?'

'So you can slip and fall again Merlin?' a smile tugged at a corner of her mouth.

'I'll be more careful this time.' He wheezed.

She realised she was putting quite a lot of pressure on his windpipe, and readjusted his position mid air.

'Thank you.' He mumbled.

'My way's more fun.' She told him.

'Oh no Morgana put me-'

She envisaged a giant bright bubble surrounding them, reaching up to Aithusa. Focusing on the valley below them, she zoomed out of her view of the bubble, until she held it in her hand, with herself, Merlin and Aithusa inside. Then moved it to the valley she had pictured, her eyes glowing golden. All this happened in under a second. There was a white flash and then Merlin was levitating in front of her, somewhere completely different. Aithusa who was flying above her was confused by the sudden change, and fell on her head a few feet away.

'Morgana!'

She lowered him to the ground.

'That was so dangerous! You're still weak. Two years is a long time Morgana. You could've killed yourself, trying to do that for one, let along three! That's very powerful magic, it uses a lot of energy.'

'How do you know that?' she asked him suspiciously.

'Um… Gaius told me… But that's not the point!'

She pouted.

'Really Morgana. To think you could just- ' He continued, then backtracked. 'Wait! You couldn't have done that at the top of the hill?'

'What?'

'That was a really big hill!'

'I was having fun and you got to look impressive!'

They both paused. Then his face broke into a massive smile.

'It was pretty cool,' he admitted.

She grinned back.

'Heeey' Aithusa agreed. She was standing on her head watching the exchange.

'So I looked impressive then?'

'Shut up Merlin.'

•••

They set up a small camp in the forest. Merlin agreed to lighting a small fire, but only until the sun went down. It was likely the forest was full of bandits, and although he was fairly confident in his ability to ward off any attackers, he dreaded having to do so, for fear she would discover his magic.

He trapped a rabbit and they roasted it, sitting opposite each other across the fire.

She ate with none of the grace that the Morgana he had known had done. This Morgana tore the meat from the bone with her teeth.

She noticed him watching her eat.

'What is it?'

'N-nothing.'

She tilted her head to the side, thinking.

'Ohh.' She slowly nodded. 'A lot has changed, hasn't it Merlin? I've learnt that in a palace some things are necessary whereas in the outside world they are not. Table manners won't keep you alive any longer out in the forest now, will they?' She ripped another piece of meat off the bone.

'No, you're right.' He agreed with her. It would be pointless to argue. Besides, she did have a point. There was no need for manners when there was no one to judge you. For Merlin it was just a habit, although not one he planned on breaking. When they had finished eating the sun had almost set. Merlin went to through the bones on his plate into the fire.

'No wait!' Morgana got up and sat next to him. She scrapped the bones off his plate and onto her own. She had all the bones from the carcass of the little rabbit now.

She began to chant, and Merlin watched with fascination as the bones shuddered and began to rearrange themselves. When they had completely reassembled, she grabbed a handful of leaves from the ground and threw them over the rabbit's skeleton. Once they had fallen, a little bunny came into view, snuffling around at the ground.

'How did you do that?' He asked in awe. 'You can't have just brought him back to life. That's impossible.'

She frowned at him.

'Gaius said you can't.' he added quickly.

'He's not alive.' She told him. 'It's an empty body. Fur traps his spirit inside for a while, but eventually he'll fade away.'

She stared at the rabbit. It was cleaning its face with its two front paws. When it was done, it sneezed and continued to snuffle around. They sat in silence. Merlin gazed at the long shadows cast in front of them. Aithusa rolled around in the dead leaves on her back.

Soon the last rays of sunlight faded from the sky and Morgana's eyes glowed golden again, and the fire extinguished itself.

'Thanks' he smiled at her and cautiously approached the embers.

He crouched down next to the fireplace. Merlin could feel magic around it. It was a curious ability. He had always been able to sense magic. He could almost see it. It was like breathing; he was always doing it, but only really realised it when he stopped to notice. Magic surrounded Morgana. Maybe that was why he had been drawn to her when they had lived in Camelot. Back then it had felt… confused. That was the only way he could describe it. He had seen a much smaller amount of magic on Gaius, and an even smaller amount on Arthur. This had used to confuse him. Only later when he came to realise that Arthur was born of magic did it make sense to him.

Morgana's magic wasn't confused anymore though. It was buzzing around her, almost as powerful as his own. She had a world at her fingertips.

'HEY!' someone shouted from behind him.

He fell over backwards in surprise with a yell. Aithusa had snuck up behind him. Morgana looked up from where she had been sitting and smirked.

Merlin sighed, looking at the little dragon that was sitting expectantly in front of him. He put his hands on his hips.

'We need to teach you some manners, and some more words.'

•••

_GAH! I love Aithusa. Bit soon for an update already, but I've been writing a lot over the last few days. Finally I think I've started to get a proper grip on where this story's going... exciting! Tell me what you think of this chapter! xx_


	6. Chapter 6

_'How could you do this to me?' the woman screamed at him, and struck him across his face. He fell to his knees and she pushed him over backwards. Moving forward she knelt on his stomach. She stared at him._

_ 'How?' _

_'Please, I-'_

_'NO!' The woman yelled at him. Her eyes flashed golden, and there was a loud cracking noise, then he was still._

_Morgana was standing in the corner of the room, immobilised, watching the woman attack him, through a heavy white mist. She stretched her eyes, the only part of her that would move, to look at the body on the floor. The woman was still sitting on his chest, though he was obviously dead. Squinting, Morgana thought she saw the woman wipe her eyes. She _knew _she knew them. She knew it was blindingly obvious. She just could figure out –_

'Morgana!'

She opened her eyes.

Merlin had one hand over her mouth and a finger on his lips.

She sat up.

'What is it?' she whispered.

'Sarrum's men.'

Her eyes widened in terror.

'Where?'

He pointed behind her, and she turned slowly to see a dozen or so shadowy figures in the woods, maybe a hundred feet away.

'Where's Aithusa?' she breathed.

He looked up to the sky and she nodded.

Safe.

It began to rain.

The shadows moved closer.

'We need to leave.'

'Not yet.' he hissed.

'Merlin we need to leave. _Now.'_

He gripped her wrist.

'What about over here!' they heard someone yell.

_'Merlin!'_

All of the shadows began to move towards them.

'Who's there?'

'_Wait.'_

Morgana thought he must be able to hear her heart beat. She knew she was breathing too loudly. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but Merlin's hands around her wrists told her to wait.

'There!' one of them yelled. They ran towards Merlin and Morgana.

'Now!' he pulled her to her feet and led her by the hand as they ran, down the hill and through the trees. But the Sarrum's men were quick. She felt someone grab at her hair and she screamed and ran faster, her eyes flashing golden as the man fell to his knees clutching at his head.

They turned to the left, cutting diagonally down a hill towards a river. Several men still followed, close on their tail. In front of her, Merlin tripped over, cutting his shin open on a sharp rock. She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to his feet and he cried out in pain.

'Let's go!' she screamed at him.

'It's her!' one of the men yelled.

Her heart filled with dread.

'_Merlin!_'

They ran along the riverside. It was uncrossable. Now it was Morgana who was leading them, stumbling along the riverbanks, dragging Merlin along behind her, trying to ignore his pained groaning. The Sarrum's men caught up to them easily, and surrounded them in a semi-circle, backed up against the water, with their swords drawn.

'It is definitely her, my lord.' One of them yelled over the roar of the rain.

Her heart pounded in her chest as the circle parted. The Sarrum strode towards her, a twisted smile on his face.

'Morgana.' He called over the roar of the river and the rain. 'Long time no see.'

Panic gripped her almost completely. Merlin was leaning almost all of his weight on her, losing blood heavily from his leg. There was no way she could escape with him. _'So leave him and run.' _The voices said. _'No!' _she answered back. '_We need a plan.'_

'Finish off the boy. The witch comes with me.' The Sarrum's order sounded almost careless, but she saw the hunger in his eyes as he watched her, waiting for a reaction.

She shook her head, stepping backwards toward the water, dragging Merlin along with her. The smirk faded from his face.

_'It'll never work.' _The voices sniggered.

'No. What are you doing? Stop!' As realisation hit him, he lunged forward, reaching out to grab her, but not quickly enough. Morgana and Merlin fell backwards into the raging cold waters. Morgana smiled as they hit the water. The last thing she saw was his face, twisted in shock and rage. He wouldn't follow them here.

•••

It was cold. That was the first thing that hit her. Then she began to feel the pressure building up in her lungs. Morgana tried to swim to the surface, pulling Merlin with her. She felt him push her away, and turned around in the water to see him shaking his head at her. He didn't think they would both make it.

She struggled, but he pushed her again as he sank down to the bottom of the river, her head broke through the surface of the water. Gulping in air she looked around quickly. They were travelling downstream at an incredible speed. A group of horses galloped towards her, riders yelling, hitting the horses to make them run faster. She stared at them hopelessly. He _would _follow her.

She took one last deep breath and swam back down towards Merlin, fighting the current until she grabbed him by the arms. His eyes were closed and a stream of small bubbles escaped his lips. _Morgana remembered a vision of Arthur, sinking under water, a stream of small bubbles escaping his lips as Sophia stood over him, weaving enchantments. _Time was running out. And this wasn't the time for , Morgana pressed her lips to Merlin's sharing one breath with him. Then she pushed him toward the surface, using magic to propel him. She could hear the voice in her head whispering to her, trying to drag her under, but she pushed through them too, and floated on the top of the water next to Merlin. They were travelling very fast. But still she could see the horses behind them. Dragging Merlin by the front of his shirt, she used her magic again to swim across the river. She grabbed blindly at the banks with one hand, dragging her fingers through the dirt that build up the sides of the river. Finally her hand caught on a root, and she used it to climb up on to the land, hauling Merlin up next to her. His eyes had opened, and he was getting to his feet, wincing as he put weight on his injured leg. As the Sarrum arrived on the opposite side of the river, a wave of exhaustion hit Morgana so hard she swayed on the spot. She was soaked through to the bone, she'd ran a mile, swam through a river with the water dragging her down and now she had to run again. For a moment she didn't know if she could.

The Sarrum looked livid. He sent one of his men to try to ride across the river. The man began to protest, but was struck across the back of the head. Morgana felt a flutter of fear as the horse stepped into the water, but it was immediately washed away, the terrified screams of both the horse and the rider soon died away as they sunk beneath the water. Morgana tore her eyes away from the water and looked back at the Sarrum. The men were getting off their horses, and as she watched, began to form a human rope across the water. She moaned in horror.

'Morgana.' Merlin called to her above the roar of the river, taking her hand. 'Time to go.'

They ran. And then they stumbled. And then they walked. Finally when they knew they couldn't walk any further, Morgana gestured toward a shrub.

'We could hide in there.'

Merlin shook his head and pointed to a tree. She walked over to it, confused.

'We climb it.' He told her.

Every second they spent climbing Morgana expected to feel the hilt of a sword shoved into her back, or a blade pressed to her throat, or to hear his voice, taunting her. The terror only made her climb faster, but she cursed her hands. She felt as though her entire body was about to give way, and her hands trembled, almost refusing to grip at the branches. She knew they were taking too long to climb the tree. They made it halfway up before the Sarrum and his men arrived. Merlin put his finger to his lips again as she clambered up to the branch he was sitting on, and clung to it, praying. She had once been told that unless you sensed movement, or heard a noise, you were highly unlucky to look above your eye line. If that were true, she and Merlin would be safe.

She noticed that there were far fewer men with the Sarrum. They must've drowned in the river. She couldn't say she was sorry. The remaining men walked on foot, but somehow they had managed to bring the Sarrum's horse across the river as well.

'The track ends here sir.' One of then informed him wearily.

'Find her!' he screamed at them. 'Or you die!'

They spread out, stabbing their swords into the bushes nearby. Morgana felt sick thinking about what would have happened if they had hidden there like she had suggested. She turned her head to look at Merlin. He smiled weakly at her.

The Sarrum was getting off his horse.

'Where is she?' he roared.

'S-she's gone my lord.'

He let out a scream of rage, and plunged his sword into the man's chest.

He moved to kill another man but halted with his sword drawn back, ready to strike.

The Sarrum began to laugh. This terrified Morgana more than the slaughter of his own men. He was looking up. But not at her. Frowning, she followed his gaze. Behind her she heard Merlin gasp. 'Oh no.' he breathed.

Aithusa flew towards the Sarrum, furiously flapping her wings.

'What are you going to do beast?' he questioned mockingly. Aithusa flew closer.

When he realised what was about to happen, he grabbed the man he had been about to stab, and used him as a shield. Aithusa breathed fire down onto the two men, screeching as the Sarrum blindly waved his sword in front of him.

As Aithusa flew away, Sarrum threw the roasted body of the man who shielded him aside.

'If the beast is here then his mistress is not far.' He spat.

Merlin put his hand on Morgana's back.

'He would've found us soon anyway.' He whispered.

They climbed silently, further up the tree. Peering down from the very top, she saw that the Sarrum stood below their tree. And then he looked up.

Morgana wasn't sure if he saw her. She stayed completely still, waiting.

'You!' he yelled.

Both Merlin and Morgana started.

He had been yelling at yet another of his men.

'Climb this tree. There's something up there.'

Morgana knew what was about to happen. She leant forward.

'What are you doing?' Merlin hissed, wrapping his arms around her stomach, trying to stop her. When she was finally as far forward as she dared, she looked down. The man was climbing the tree, and the Sarrum stood directly beneath her.

'Oi!' she yelled. She felt Merlin jump.

As he turned his face towards her, she spat and watched it fall until it hit him right between his eyes.

She could hear Merlin speaking under his breath behind her but she didn't care. He let go of her and stood up on his branch, speaking louder and louder.

Morgana ignored him, and yelled down at the Sarrum.

'So kill me! Lock me away! I've cost you the lives of your men, outran you and embarrassed you by escaping the prison you called unescapable! And now I've spat on your face.'

'CLIMB!' he raged at his soldiers.

They hastily obeyed and Morgana felt the tree shaking.

'You're too much of a coward to climb this tree yourself!' she screamed at him. 'You fear me so much you use the people I love most to blackmail me into not destroying you!'

'GET HER DOWN! Cut out her tongue!'

'Morgana!' Merlin was calling her softly. 'Come here!'

She spat again at the Sarrum, then stood, clumbing up next to Merlin on the branch.

'What?'

'Ten seconds.'

'They'll be here by then!'

'Five.'

He put an arm around her waist.

'Four.'

The first of the Sarrum's men clambered onto the branch opposite them. He grinned, brandishing his sword.

'Three.'

The grin was replaced by a look of terror as the man stared at something in the sky behind them.

'Two.'

The man lost his balance and fell backwards off the branch.

'One.'

Kilgharrah scooped them up roughly from behind, carrying them away in her claws.

The Sarrum's howls of rage echoed in Morgana's ears as they flew higher and higher… and then were dropped. They were falling through the air, for just a second, before landing with a thud on the dragons back.

'Ow.' she whispered.

'You're lucky I caught you at all.' The Dragon's voice snarled at her her.

'Be nice.' Merlin told it.

Kilgharrah blew a tongue of fire out of her nose and huffed.

Morgana turned around and looked at him questioningly.

'Even dragons can sulk.' He grinned.

•••

_Happy Christmas! I really wanted to get this published before Christmas, and before the finale. _

_I hope you like this chapter. I'm pretty happy with it, especially because Morgana got to spit on the Sarrum. She deserved to get to do something like that I reckon._

_Tell me what you thought! Everyone stay safe over the holidays. xx_


	7. Chapter 7

'Young Warlock, you know I'm not happy about this.' Kilgharrah told him. 'It would've been better if you had left the witch in her prison.'

Merlin sighed. Morgana had slumped backwards, exhausted and asleep within a minute.

'Why don't I drop her off back in her cell and drop you off in Camelot where you should be?'

'You know that's not going to happen.' Merlin snapped.

'Do I?'

'Yes. As long as I keep Morgana with me she isn't a threat to Arthur.'

'And you think you can keep her with you forever?'

Merlin shrugged.

The Dragon huffed in exasperation. 'So that is your plan Merlin. You think the Witch will stay with you forever, she will not try to escape or to kill you and that your destiny-'

'I'll change my destiny!'

'You cannot!'

'I can try.'

'And watch as Camelot pays the price.'

They flew in silence for a moment.

'Arthur's future is still in grave danger. The Druid Boy has grown up into a young man. I warned you of him once before, many years ago. I told you that you should let him die. You failed to heed my words, and if you do so again, you will regret it dearly. The safest place for you to be is in Camelot, and the safest place for the witch is in prison or dead.'

Merlin found it hard to believe that the little boy he, Morgana, Gwen and Arthur had helped to escape from Uther's clutches could have grown up into a killer. The killer who would kill his king, and his friend.

'Do you know where Mordred is now?' Merlin asked heavily.

'He lives in the Darkling Woods. But he moves from place to place frequently. Too many people bay for the blood of the Druids.'

'Maybe one more now.' Merlin muttered darkly.

As Kilgharrah landed in a clearing, Merlin gathered Morgana into his arms and slide down the dragon's back.

'Merlin.' Kilgharrah said gently. 'You've grown to care for her greatly.'

Merlin nodded.

The dragon bowed his head.

'Then do what you will to fix her. Though I fear she is broken forever, bound to her destiny as tightly as you are bound to yours. But please Young Warlock. Do not let your attachment to the witch come between you and your determination to protect Arthur. If you fail, we will all feel the effects, and it will cost our kind dearly.'

'I understand.'

'The forests here will be safe for you to stay for three days.'

'Thank you.'

'And young warlock' he called. 'Be careful.'

Kilgharrah took flight, his shadow meeting with a smaller one as they flew away together.

Merlin smiled. Kilgharrah had taken Aithusa under his wing, and treated her as though she were a child of his own.

He looked around him. Morgana lay unconscious in his arms.

'Well,' he thought to himself, 'you promised her a day out. You gave her one she won't forget for a long time.'

He sat down underneath an old oak tree, leaning her back against his chest, deciding she'd probably be more comfortable that way.

He frowned looking down at his leg. It had healed to a scar. The dragon must've healed it. He was touched. He hadn't expected to be healed on top of being picked up and bringing Morgana with him.

Merlin was exhausted. It felt as though his very bones were aching. But his mind was awake. _Mordred. _Arthur was still in danger. And Merlin had to come up with a plan to save him.

•••

Morgana woke up _sore. _Everything hurt. As her brain slowly reawakened itself she thought back on the horrors of the night before. She sat bolt upright.

'Merlin?!'

Someone gripped her around the waist from behind and she screamed.

'Morgana!'

'Merlin! You scared the hell out of me.' She slapped him on the wrist, then grimaced.

'You OK?' He asked gently.

'I'm fine.' she lied. 'Are we safe here?'

'We'll be safe here for the next three days.'

Morgana didn't ask him how he knew that.

They stood and he hugged her, and then went about making breakfast.

'Will you help me light the fire?' he asked her, as she sat down.

She nodded and lit one with her magic without hesitating, or standing up again.

He chuckled to himself. He was cutting up mushrooms, using a blunt blade.

'Merlin.'

He looked up.

'Bring those here.'

He carried the mushrooms over on the rock he had been cutting them on, wincing at the weight.

He sat down heavily next to her, holding out the stone in offering.

Morgana whispered an enchantment under her breath, smiling as the mushrooms chopped themselves.

'I can't cook them.' She told him once the mushrooms were cut up.

He smiled at her, warmly. 'I'll do it.'

He placed the stone over the fire.

'That'll probably take a while. But it gives us a chance to talk.'

She frowned. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk.

Merlin sat down next to her, and put an arm around her shoulder. She stiffened, before deciding to let it go. Once upon a time Merlin sitting with her with his arm around her shoulders was something forbidden. Uther would've had him killed, and Morgana chained the instant he found out. Merlin had put himself at risk helping her in Camelot. Maybe he had been her friend. But then…

'I wish we could've killed him.'

Morgana was pulled out of her memories.

'Who?'

'The Sarrum. I wish we could've killed him. He deserves to die.' Morgana was shocked to hear his voice shake with anger.

'We will kill him. Slowly and painfully.' She told him, staring into the flames.

'We will.' He repeated. 'But there's something we need to do first.'

She frowned, looking up at him.

'What is it?'

'Mordred.'

'What about him?'

Merlin sighed heavily. 'I need to… I need to kill him. I have no choice.'

She flinched at the words. _I had no choice. _

'But why? He's just a boy!' She protested.

'He _was _just a boy, the last time we saw him. He has grown, grown into a young man. A dangerous young man, who threatens everything both you and I hold dear.'

Morgana gulped. 'Aithusa?'

'Aithusa would suffer because of him, but that's not all.'

'Then what? Please Merlin. You have to tell me. I cared for Mordred more than I cared for myself. If you want me to help you kill him, you're going to have to give me a very good reason.'

'He… he's going to kill Arthur. And that's very very bad, for you and me.'

'Well, as a matter of fact, that's very good for me.' Morgana said coolly.

'No. It's not. Arthur is destined to return magic to Albion. He has to live. He _has _to. No one else will do that. It is his destiny, and his alone.'

'You think I would be incapable of that as Queen of Camelot?'

'Yes. Morgana. Please. It is _my _destiny to help Arthur however I can, and the only way I can ensure he will fulfil his destiny is to kill Mordred.'

Morgana was silent.

'You would have been the best Queen Camelot ever had. But it can not be.'

'Why? It would've been the end of an era. Sorcerers would walk freely through the streets. We wouldn't have to live in the darkness anymore. But you wouldn't understand what that's like Merlin.' She snapped.

_Tell her. _She heard a voice whispering in her head. It was a different voice to the usual one. This voice was male, and much quieter. She could barely hear it.

'Morgana-'

'Don't. Please, can't we talk about something else?' she interrupted.

He gave her a questioning look.

'I'll think about it.'

He nodded, staring forlornly at the mushrooms.

Guilt twisted in her gut. Why? She shuffled closer to him and hugged him again. She scolded herself for feeling relieved when he hugged her back.

•••

_Wow. I wrote this before i saw the final episode of Merlin. It was amazing! I was devastated, but i won't say anything specific in case you haven't seen it yet._

_Hope you like this chapter! Sorry if it's a bit short. Please feel free to leave suggestions. Will update soon. X_

_(One thing I did like about the final episode of Merlin was that we never _did _find out how Morgana & Aithusa escaped the Sarrum, did we?)_


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin had fallen asleep against the tree. Morgana sat next to him, listening to his breathing. Her mind was racing. She didn't want to help Arthur… did she? No. He was just like his father. What had she said to him? '_You're a better man than your father. Always have been.'_ She naïve she had been. He was no different. Younger, more agile, but just as cowardly. The only thing he could do for her would be to renounce his throne and leave Camelot forever. She could be Queen of Camelot. She could make the people like her. It wasn't fair. When she had treated them with kindness they had still worshiped her brother. They would never willingly take her as Queen. She remembered the time she _had _ruled over Camelot. Only for a few weeks, and with Morgause at her side. The people had hated her, and remained loyal to Arthur. She had lost her temper, and fired arrows into a crowd of civilians. They would not forget that easily. No. They would not ever forget that. Neither would she. She was ashamed of that moment, and saw it as one of her darkest. An inhuman loss of control. Maybe that was the day of no return; the day when any slight possibility of being liked, or even loved by the people of Camelot had died.

She looked over at Merlin. She had a nagging feeling he was right. He seemed to be right about everything else. But if Arthur really was destined to return magic to Albion, why hadn't Morgause told her? She would've only needed to remove Uther, and she could've lived within Camelot for the rest of her life. She wouldn't have been Queen, but she would've lived comfortably for the rest of her life. And life with Arthur as king would've been different inside Camelot's castle. Arthur had married her maidservant. Maybe she could've married his manservant… She snapped herself out of the daydream, realising a small smile was lingering on her face. _Arthur hasn't lifted the ban on magic. He has been king for years now Morgana. If not now, when? _

As she drifted off to sleep, Morgana dreamt of a time before Uther and Arthur. She dreamt she was back in her home she had shared with Gorlois. He had been a kind father, but he had been absent, sent off into battle or running errands for his king.

_ Morgana sat on her bed, alone, no more than seven years old, eating an apple. She was content. Her magic kept her company. Withered flowers bloomed in her hand and she could make butterflies sit on her shoulders and in her hair. She saw the world through the eyes of a happy child, with no consciousness to whether she was rich or poor, or what she did was right or wrong. The light streamed down from the window onto her bed. There was an open book in her lap, and a couple of butterflies fluttered around above her head. She had enchanted them, and they were giggling. A floorboard squeaked and the giggling stopped. A man stood in the doorway, but this man was not her father. Little Morgana stood. The man wore a crown on his head and was dressed in a bright red cloak. _

_'I am your King.' He told her, pausing to for her to curtsey. When she did not, he continued, frowning a little. 'I am afraid I have to tell you that your father is dead.'_

_Little Morgana whimpered quietly._

_'As your mother has not been seen for many years, you are an orphan. And as you have no other family in this world, you are alone.'_

_A tear rolled down the child's face._

_'But now, I will offer you my guardianship. You will be my ward.'_

_She shook her head, and his frown deepened._

_ 'I don't believe you.' She said._

_'I promised Gorlois I would take you in. you will come with me now child. I am your father now.'_

_'You're a liar.'_

_She wanted to pack her things, but he had refused to wait, telling her she would be able to have whatever she wanted when they reached Camelot. _

_'What's Camelot?' she asked, as he pulled her away by the hand. She looked around her village. People were stepping out of their houses to watch as she was led away. No one was going to stop him taking her away._

_'What's Camelot? Didn't Gorlois teach you anything?' he replied laughingly as they reached the outskirts of her village. _

_She scowled and kicked him hard in the shins. He grimaced and smacked her arm._

_'You will learn to respect me.' He growled. 'You will not be a feral village child for much longer.'_

_When they reached Camelot, little Morgana dried her eyes and stared in wonder at the castle. She had never left her village, except to explore the nearby woods. She had read about castles, and seen drawings in her books but she had never imagined them this way. The dream changed, to the most terrifying thing she discovered in Camelot. It was dinner one day, and the boy she was told was her brother now, Arthur was talking about training. This was the first thing that had interested her since she had arrived, so she listened closely to his boasting. 'And then I turned around and hit him with the sword and he fell over dead! Although don't worry father, he wasn't actually dead, he got up again afterwards so I could kill him again!'_

_'Just like magic!' Morgana said enthusiastically. The conversation died immediately, and Uther stood and walked towards her. Little Morgana shrank in her seat. She didn't know what was wrong. Uther's hand struck her hard around her head, then grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look at him. She stared up at him with blurry vision and a ringing in her ears as he told her 'Magic is evil. We don't talk about magic.' _

_Little Morgana learnt her lessons. She learnt to behave with elegance, to do meaningless activities because that was what ladies did. She learnt never to mention magic again, unless to condemn it. She suppressed her instinctive magic, and taught herself to fear it. From the time she was a child until she met Merlin. _

_The dream changed yet again, and a heavy fog fell around her. _

_The woman paced up and down, her face livid._

_'Magic Merlin! You had it all this time!'_

_'Morgana, there were so many reasons I couldn't tell you.'_

_The voices echoed. Morgana could see the woman's face, and finally recognised it. It was her own. Which meant the man was-_

_'You could've helped me Merlin. You should've. I needed your help!'_

_'I wanted to help you.'_

_'How could you do this to me?' She screamed at him, and struck him across his face. He fell to his knees and she pushed him over backwards. Moving forward she knelt on his stomach. She stared at him._

_ 'How?' _

_'Please, I-'_

_'NO!' she yelled at him. Her eyes flashed golden, and there was a loud cracking noise, then he was still._

_The Morgana from the dream was still sitting on his chest, though he was obviously dead. Morgana saw her dream self wipe her eyes. The fog was beginning to clear. The dream Morgana stood looking down at the body. 'I'm sorry.' She breathed. Then she looked directly at Morgana. 'Don't let this happen.'_

_•••_

Morgana woke with a gasp. Merlin looked over at her, putting down the piece of wood he had been carving. She was staring at him, her eyes filled with anger and hurt.

'Morgana?' he said questioningly.

She stood above him, picking up the carving. It was a dragon.

'You.' Her voice shook. 'You have magic don't you?'

He stood abruptly, his eyes filled with the truth.

'How-'

'Magic, Merlin. You had it all this time?'

'Morgana…There were so many reasons I couldn't tell you.'

'You could've helped me Merlin. You should've. I needed your help!'

'I wanted to help you.'

'How could you do this to me?' She screamed at him, and struck him across his face. He fell to his knees and she pushed him over backwards. Moving forward she knelt on his stomach and stared at him.

'How?'

_'Don't let this happen.'_

'HOW?'

'I couldn't tell you. I hoped that because you were the king's ward, you would be safe.'

'Safe? You think he would've spared my life just because I was his _ward_? Are you crazy?'

' You were safer than a servant would've been.'

'You think I would've told him? Is that really all you think of me?'

'Gaius… always said…could never be…sure.' He gasped. 'Wanted to help you. Sent you to druids, hoping.'

Morgana's expression changed. Less anger.

'Why couldn't you have just told me Merlin? Everything would've been different if you'd just told me.' she said sadly.

She stood up abruptly.

'Relight the fire.' She commanded, as he got to his feet, clutching his stomach where she had kneed him.

He reached for the stones he had used to light it before.

'I don't think so Merlin. Use your magic.'

Could he still deny it? No. That was probably the worst idea. '_Forbærne' _he muttered, turning to face her slowly as the fire roared.

'I thought I could trust you. Did you ever plan on telling me?'

'Yes! I really did. There just never seemed like a good time.'

She sat down again, in front of the fire.

'I suppose no one's what they seem, are they?' her voice was shaky again. 'Anything else you want to tell me?'

He hesitated. What should he tell her?

'I'm a dragonlord.' He said, as modestly as he could manage.

'Right.' He waited nervously, for another reaction.

She looked up at him.

'Aren't you going to sit down?'

'Oh, um, yeah, course.'

'Maybe... Maybe you tried to help me. You did more than Arthur or Uther or anyone else would've. And you knew. You could see that I was struggling. No one else did, except maybe Gwen.' She said, almost talking to herself.

He nodded.

'I'm still angry.'

'I'm sorry.' He said. 'But I can't turn back time.'

They sat together in silence until Merlin couldn't stand it anymore. He pulled a stick out of the fire, and blew the embers off it, watching carefully as they rearranged themselves into the shape of a dragon.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile. A few seconds later, a crow made of embers circled above the head of his dragon. The dragon looked up, and flew towards it. Then they flew together, until it looked as though they were dancing.

'I'll help you Merlin.' She said suddenly.

'What?'

'If I have to kill Mordred for the right to be free, I will. If I have to choose between you and Mordred, I'm choosing you.'

'Really?'

'Yes. But…' she faltered. 'It won't be easy. He was like a son to me. And I'm still angry.'

'I know. But I have to do this. For… _our_ freedom.' He said, watching closely for a reaction. She seemed to agree with him.

'You have to promise me. Promise me this will work. Arthur will free us?'

'He will. I know it.'

'Swear on it.' She dared him.

'I swear on my life.'

'Merlin?'

'I swear…I swear on… on Arthur's life, and on my own.'

She seemed satisfied with that.

•••

_Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote anything. I know it's not perfect, but I couldn't leave Morgana in the dark about Merlin any longer! _

_Tell me what you think, I love hearing feedback! Will update soon xx_


	9. Chapter 9

They spent the next day resting. To the best of their ability. Morgana was clearly still shaken, but was controlling herself well. Merlin wasn't sure about his own self-control. He hadn't been expecting an attack so soon into their journey. He had been hoping maybe they wouldn't have one at all.

Although, on a brighter note, he was overjoyed that finally he could share his magic with someone. As far as he was concerned, Morgana had taken the news very well. Maybe it was exhaustion. He had expected to have to fight for his life, and had feared he'd lose. He hadn't been privy to a display of her powers for quite some time, and he wasn't sure he could match them anymore. She was still far from recovered after her time with the Sarrum, and he feared how it had might've affected her mental state. But she was still the most powerful sorceress he would ever come across. Nimueh was the last sorceress he had met with anywhere near as much power, and he had managed to destroy her. Just. But Morgana had held herself back, and restrained from trying to kill him, although she had struck him across the face, and it was bringing up a painful bruise.

His train of thought was broken as Aithusa swept down from the sky, and tumbled into his arms, knocking them both backwards.

Morgana came running.

'Aithusa?' she laughed in delight.

'Yep!' Merlin wheezed. Aithusa was getting heavy.

The dragon squirmed in delight, turning around in circles in Merlin's arms as Morgana reached them, enclosing her in a tight hug.

'HEEEEEY!' Aithusa yelled. She dug her claws into Merlin's shirt and he yelped.

'Hey?'

Morgana picked Aithusa up off Merlin, and put her down again quickly, helping him up to his feet.

'She _is _getting really heavy isn't she?' Morgana remarked.

'Heyyy.'

'No, that's a good thing!' She told her.

'Hey, M-M-MUM!'

'She said mum!' Morgana squealed.

'Mum!'

'She called _me _mum!'

Merlin crouched down next to the dragon as she was dragged into another hug.

'Hey mum!' The dragon said to him, and he pulled a face.

'I'm Merlin.' He said.

'Mu-um.' Aithusa insisted.

'How about _Mer-lun?'_

'Mer mum.'

'Close?'

'Mer mum. Mum! HEY!'

He sighed, and gave up.

'Thank you for helping us Aithusa.' Morgana said to her. 'You saved us.'

'So did Kilgharrah.' Merlin murmured to her, and she elbowed him.

'We couldn't have done it without you, could we Merlin?'

'Definitely not.' He smiled encouragingly.

'Heyy, Mer-mum.' Aithusa said modestly.

•••

They decided to leave the clearing the next day, just to be safe. It was Merlin's idea, and Morgana agreed to it wholeheartedly. Her trust in Merlin hadn't been lost altogether. In fact it had almost grown stronger. She wanted to deny that though. But there was something inside her that saw him as a kindred spirit more than ever before. She had always found it easy to trust Merlin. But then he had poisoned her, and he'd kept this secret from her for so long...

But even when she had thought about the way he had poisoned her, she had had to convince herself not to trust him, whereas a lack of faith in Arthur or Gwen was almost second nature by now. She didn't understand why she couldn't see Merlin meaning any harm to anyone.

He handed her a small pack.

'We're going to go south. We've got to get to the Darkling Woods. It's about ten days walk from here.'

'The Darkling Woods?'

'That's where Mordred was last.'

'That's inside Camelot's border.'

He grunted.

'I know the woods very well.' He told her.

'As do I.' she replied challengingly. 'I've ridden through those woods since I was a child.'

'I've been witness to some truly tragic hunting by Arthur there for many a year.' He chuckled.

'And… My _real _father is buried there as well.'

He looked around at her worriedly. She cursed herself for the tremor in her voice when she talked about Gorlois. She shouldn't have brought it up at all. Although, seeing as the damage was done anyway.

'Merlin?'

'Yes?'

'Can we visit my father's grave if we're to travel to the Darkling Woods? I haven't visited him in so long.'

'Of course we can. It's only right.'

'We can find Mordred first. That's more…urgent.'

He smiled gratefully.

'Gorlois was always a good father to me.' She told him as they walked. 'He wasn't always there, but when he was the best father anyone could ask for. He used to call me little fairy. Morgana le Fay he said.'

Merlin smiled. 'That suits you.'

She returned his smile, almost shyly.

'I prefer it to Pendragon now.'

'What about your mother?' he asked.

'She left when I was very little. I don't really remember her.'

'I didn't really remember my father.' He said. 'But I met him again, a few years ago. Just before he…' Merlin faltered. 'Just before he died.'

'But mother was always good to me.' He smiled.

Morgana remembered Hunith vaguely. She had a kind face, and Merlin's eyes and hair. But Merlin's eyes and hair were similar to her own. And to Mordred's. Morgana wondered what was going to happen when they found him. She still wasn't sure that she could kill him herself. She had prepared herself a long time ago for killing Uther and Arthur, Gaius and even Gwen. But she had never thought she'd have to harm Mordred. She feared all she would see would be the little boy she had hidden behind her curtain, all those years ago.

•••

They walked slowly, as it appeared Kilgharrah had healed Merlin's wounds, but not Morgana's. She carried a lighter pack than Merlin did, something she had fiercely fought against, but after walking a mile or so with an equally heavy pack she gave up and let Aithusa carry it for her.

Aithusa had responded with a delighted 'Hey mum!' and enthusiastically bounced up and down as Morgana tried to fasten it to her back.

Now Aithusa was keeping watch, circling the sky high above.

Soon they reached the edge of the forest, and walked out onto a plain, where tall dry grass grew for as far as the eye could see. Morgana tensed. Anyone in the forest could see her, but she wouldn't see them. They'd have their back to the forest too; another disadvantage.

Merlin saw her hesitating at the edge of the trees, and walked back to her.

'It'll be fine.' He assured her.

She didn't reply. She was remembering the last time she had gone along on a plain. It had been raining, but no mist had settled on the ground. She had walked confidently, Aithusa bouncing around her feet, still very little. The Sarrum and his men had surrounded her. She could've easily killed them all, but they had held a sword up, not to her throat, but to Aithusa's. So she had gone willingly.

Merlin took her hand, and led her toward the plain.

'No wait!' she pointed across the grass, pulling him by the sleeve back towards the trees, waiting in the shadows in anticipation.

'What is it Morgana?' he said quietly.

'Watch.' She hissed.

A minute passed in silence, apart from the noises of the woods. Then a group of bandits came marching into view, walking across their horizon line, a few feet from where they stood. Morgana pressed herself up behind a tree, gripping Merlin's arms and standing on his feet to assure herself he wasn't going to move. She could hear the bandits yelling incoherently as they passed, not fearing being heard by anyone.

Even once they had passed, they remained frozen to the spot for a good few minutes before she dared move again. When she finally convinced herself they were safe, she was embarrassed to realise she had been clinging to Merlin.

'How did you know they were there?' he asked her in amazement.

'I just…sensed it.' She replied, happy to keep off the topic of who had clung to who.

'That's… incredible.' He said.

They crossed the first part of the plain swiftly, starting at a run. When they got further in, the grass got taller, and trees grew haphazardly in the muddy ground.

Once the grass was up to their shoulders, Morgana felt safer. She squinted up to the sky to see Aithusa flying around above her.

The day went on, and they walked and walked. The sun beat down on her, and the path ahead swam in and out of vision. One foot in front of the other, over and over again. She couldn't see anything ahead of her, but she couldn't see the woods behind her either. When night began to fall, they made a camp under the most stable looking tree they could find. Aithusa landed heavily a few feet away from them, and helpfully blew flames over a pile of old leaves and twigs for them. Merlin offered her a flask of water.

'You drink first.' She mumbled suspiciously.

He nodded, making sure to face her as he drank, so she could see he was properly drinking it. After a couple of mouthfuls he offered it to her again, and she accepted gratefully, but drinking cautiously all the same.

She got up to try and help Aithusa out of her pack. The dragon refused.

'Hey mu-um! Mer mum! HEY!'

'Don't you want me to take it off so you can rest?'

'No.' She replied stubbornly, then looked around excitedly. 'No! No no no no no. Hey no mum!'

She earned a tired laugh from Merlin and a proud hug from Morgana.

Aithusa watched over them as they slept that night. The two sorcerors were exhausted from the walk and the heat, and fell asleep immediately.

•••

•••

Merlin woke to a low growling from Aithusa. She was standing over him and Morgana, snarling at something in the tall grass. Immediately alert, Merlin listened carefully for a disturbance, placing a hand on Aithusa's side to quieten her. A rustle in the grass finally gave him a direction to search in. Making a quick decision, he leapt at the place where he had heard the noise. He landed on a person, pulled them towards Aithusa and flipped them onto their stomach, with his knee digging into their shoulder blade and pulling their arm behind their back, so that if they struggled it would break. He wished Arthur had seen that. Clot pole.

'Who are you?' he insisted of the man.

'No one.' He grunted, and Merlin tugged at his arm a little harder. The man spoke with a heavy accent Merlin didn't recognise. Perhaps he was from one of the kingdoms furthest from Ealdor and Camelot.

'Why were you watching us?' he asked.

'Not watching you. Watching _them.' _The man spat.

'Who's them?'

'Dragon and girl.'

'Why?' Merlin insisted. Glancing up Morgana had been woken by the disruption and was hearing every word. She looked pale, but composed.

'Big money for dragon and girl.'

'How long have you been following us?'

'Since you started on plain.'

'Is there anyone else following us?'

'Don't know.'

'Who will give you the money?' Morgana asked coldly.

'Much money from Sarrum and Pendragon.'

Merlin's blood ran cold. Had Arthur really formed an alliance with the Sarrum?

Morgana grabbed the man by his chin, looking into his eyes, observing. If Merlin had been in the man's shoes, he would've been more scared now than when he had had his arm pinned behind his back.

'You're of no further use to us.' She snarled at him. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she snapped his neck. She stood and hugged Aithusa.

Merlin stood in shock above the man's body. There hadn't really been anything else to do but kill him. It was too risky not to. But he knew if there had been another way she wouldn't have taken it. The man had been a danger to her, so he was removed.

'Sarrum and Pendragon.' She repeated slowly.

'It's not true! And if it were, it wouldn't last. It couldn't last. They're too different!'

'Maybe he's not as different as you'd like to think.' She replied coolly.

'No, I know Arthur and-'

'And I know him better!' she cried. 'We grew up together! We were trained since we were children to fear, hate and kill anyone who might pose a threat to Camelot, and sorcerers and magicians _certainly _fell into that group-'

'He's different!'

'You can't know that! Arthur and the Sarrum are likeminded men, whether you like it or not. Together they share a hatred of magic, and will execute anyone they even _suspect_ of sorcery, to send a message! Arthur is no different to his father. He is the same man with a younger face!'

'That is not true Morgana, Arthur is a more tolerable, understanding man, who-'

'Well I suppose he knows about your magic then?' she interrupted.

Merlin passed his hands over his face.

'I thought as much.' She snarled. 'Merlin, Arthur might _seem _more 'tolerable and understanding', but he's not. Because we both know if he had found out about your magic, you wouldn't be here now.'

She huffed and sat down next to him. Merlin sat with his head in his hands, thoughts pounding through his head, imagining a world where Arthur knew the truth. Morgana sat silently, staring out across the grass plain. Aithusa moaned quietly, watching them from behind the tree.

'Arthur is destined to unite Albion and return magic to the kingdom.' Merlin said softly.

He saw her roll her eyes.

'I have faith in Arthur, and I _know _he will fulfil that destiny. And I will fulfil mine. I will protect him, and I will protect you.'

She bristled. 'I can look after myself.'

He looked her up and down.

'Do you remember what you used to look like Morgana?'

'Of course I do.' She snapped.

'You were so compassionate.'

'I grew up.'

'No.' he said sadly. 'You just changed. You used to care about people. Normal people. You cared about Gwen. You cared about me. Now you just see enemies where there were friends once.'

There was a long silence. He glanced over at her. She looked back at him, her eyes full of sorrow.

'I… still care about you.' She said quietly.

'Thank you.' He squeezed her hand.

'We've got to get off this plain.' He said. She paused.

'Do you think anyone else is following us?'

He didn't reply. He couldn't sense anyone nearby, but he still didn't completely trust his instincts. The man had been dressed like a bandit. Maybe he had been at the end of a patrol and had seen them and decided to follow, intending to rob them. Once Aithusa landed with them they would've been easily identifiable, and it would've become apparent they were of a lot higher value then he had first suspected. Maybe.

'We need to be more careful.' He said finally.

•••

_Thank you all for all your messages so far! They've been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you so much! Tell me what you think about this chapter! Will update soon x_


	10. Chapter 10

They reached the end of the plain after three long days. Morgana was relieved to see trees on the horizon, the idea of getting out of the tall grasses driving her to walk faster and faster. She couldn't stop thinking about what Merlin had said to her. _Do you remember what you used to look like? _Of course she did. Black hair, blue eyes. But there had been something else. She thought it had been compliancy. Maybe it had been compassion. When they reached the forest she took a deep breath as relief washed over her. She squinted at her reflection in a puddle. For the first time she noticed her hair. It had knotted itself into a mess, and stuck out in every direction.

'We did it!' Merlin grinned lopsidedly. 'We've reached the Darkling Woods! Now we've just got to get to the other side of them!'

She smiled back at him, as Aithusa tried to land gracefully, but got tangled up in a tree. Squawking she tried to hide her face under her wing to avoid further humiliation, but couldn't quite reach. They tried to give her instruction on how to get herself down independently, but eventually Merlin lost a coin toss to Morgana and had to climb the tree and carry her down.

The little dragon grumbled as she was handed back to Morgana.

'What do you say to Merlin?'

'Heyyy Mer-mum.' She said guiltily as he doubled over to catch his breath.

After a swig from a flask of water Merlin decided he was all right to keep walking, but she made him wait another ten minutes, partly for his benefit, but also for her own. It had been a long and stressful journey so far, and already politics had threatened what fragile relationship they had. She knew she shouldn't trust Merlin. She should be planning a way to kill him. But she didn't have to stay with him. She could go back to her hovel in the Darkling Woods, take Aithusa with her, and live life alone again. But looking at him, with his stupid lopsided grin, she knew she couldn't think about killing him. And the idea of being alone again was unbearable. She was growing too fond of him. Again.

They started walking again, up a hill for the first time since they had left the plain. Curse this hill. It seemed incredibly steep.

'Wait.' She called.

Merlin turned around and walked back down to her.

God she hated feeling weak.

He offered her the flask of water. She made him drink from it first, as she always did. He accepted without complaint and took a small sip, before handing it back to her. She watched closely to make sure he swallowed, then smiled at him gratefully and drank.

'Thank you Merlin. I really should stop making you do that.' She said.

_'No! Sister, you cannot trust him.' _A new voice.

Sister?

'Time to get going again.' Merlin said cheerfully.

'_Morgause?'_ She thought to the voice.

'_You cannot trust him. You must tell him nothing.'_

'_Morgause?_' she thought.

'Morgana?' his brow creased in worry.

_'Do not trust him.'_

'I'm fine. Let's go.'

They continued, leaving the hill and the plain far behind, but the thought that her sister might be with her followed Morgana, haunting her. The voice she had just heard was much louder than the usual ones, her sister's voice crystal clear as though she was standing in front of her. But Morgause had died, and her death had broken Morgana's heart. That had been Merlin's fault too, the one thing she refused to forgive him for. But it had been Morgana who had finally ended her life, plunging the blade into her gut. Was it possible that Morgause's spirit had crept into her head with the opening of the Veil Between the Worlds, lying dormant all this time? Morgause had never liked Merlin, and Morgana had tried to pull away from him to please her. Clearly that wasn't working. She had loved her sister dearly. But she had broken away from her memory, and formed a new life without her. Strangely, the idea that she was inside her head angered Morgana. Her mind was the only part of herself that she had full control over, and she didn't want anyone changing that. And if it _was _Morgause's spirit, why hadn't she said so at once? Was the spirit only just waking up now? She felt as though she should have known. A deafening noise filled her head, making her vision blur and her ears ring. In front of her Merlin didn't stop walking; he couldn't hear it. She clutched at her head and fell to her knees, gasping. She could hear screaming. Maybe it was her own. Louder and louder. Merlin had dropped down on his knees next to her. He was talking to her, but she couldn't hear him, it was too loud. Someone else was talking too. _Morgause?_

_'Morgana!'_

The noise got even louder. Then it stopped, and she saw her. Morgause stepped out of the darkness towards her, her face no longer disfigured, but beautiful, and wearing an expression as cold as stone.

_'Sister.'_

_'Morgause.' She cried. _

_The expression on her sister's face thawed, and she returned Morgana's smile, embracing her._

_'We must talk quickly, there isn't much time.'_

_'I'm so sorry Morgause.'_

_'What for?'_

_'I killed you. I'm so sorry.' She wept._

_'You acted as I instructed you to. It is I who should be sorry; I didn't mean for you to have to feel guilty. But now the time has come.'_

_'The time?'_

_It's time to decide whose side you are on Morgana.'_

_'Have I not always been on your side?' she said, wiping her eyes._

_'Not Merlin's?'_

_Morgana hesitated. 'Is… Can that not be the same side?'_

_'The boy fights for Arthur. I fought for us. For you.'_

_'But, Sister, he tells me Arthur is destined return magic to Albion.'_

_Morgause scoffed. 'You would make a better queen.'_

_'Camelot's people hate me.'_

_'You could make them like you.'_

_'I… I don't think that will work anymore.'_

_'Things could go back to the way they were. Before your capture. You could make a new plan, and this time you would succeed.'_

_'Back in my hovel. Alone. I have _tried_ to take Camelot. I have tried to kill Arthur. But it is pointless, because whatever I do, whatever means I try, it never works. Never. Every time I fail, and I grow weaker, and they grow stronger. Sister. I never doubted you before. I always thought your way was best. But…there must be another way.' _

_Morgause stared at her. _

_'And so you will help Merlin. And think _your _destiny will forget about you. But you are wrong.'_

_'Morgause-'_

_'No. No, I understand. You're still young Morgana. But that won't last forever. You don't want to spend your life alone, with only the memory of your sister, who died long ago. But don't ever let yourself be suppressed by Arthur and his kind. Never again.'_

_'Morgause, I-'_

_'One last thing. Before I go.' She interrupted._

_'I've- I've not decided yet.'_

_'Sister.' She smiled for the first time. 'You've made your choice. I judged you cruelly. It is not my decision to make, and I know who you have chosen.'_

_'But-'_

_'But you must beware. No one can escape their destiny, not even you. Emrys is closer than you think. The traitor's last secret. Merlin is Emrys. He is still your destiny, and he is still your doom. You must not trust him, never truly. '_

_'Merlin? Merlin is Emrys?'_

_'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. I'm proud of you.' She kissed Morgana on the top of her head._

_'I miss you Morgause.'_

_'And I you. But now I must go. And I do not know if I shall ever be able to return to this world. I will watch over you from the Great Beyond.'_

_'I won't forget you. I promise. I will win this war in your memory.'_

_Morgause smiled, and then Morgana's world faded into darkness._

_•••_

Merlin saw the spirit leave Morgana. She had fallen to her knees, screaming, without any warning. He had turned around, trying to help her, but she didn't seem to hear him or see him anymore. Then she had stopped screaming as abruptly as she had started. Staring into the distance, her mouth moving, but no words coming out. A trickle of blood ran out of her mouth. This had lasted for a few minutes. Then she stopped breathing, and her body crumpled into a heap. Merlin went to move towards her, but a shadowy figure emerged in front of him, barring his way. He stood up, face to face with it. He recognised it immediately.

'Morgause?'

'You look after her.' it whispered hoarsely, and then exploded into a million tiny particles.

With a gasp Morgana began breathing again.

Merlin stared into the air in astonishment.

He made her as comfortable as he could, then started a small fire. That was risky in itself, getting close to nightfall, but it meant he could cook something, and heat water.

'Aithusa.' He called quietly. 'Can you find me a rabbit?'

She curled up next to Morgana protectively.

'I'll take care of her. Promise.'

She looked him up and down suspiciously, then nodded and put her nose to the ground, running and sniffing. Then she flew off.

Merlin sat down next to Morgana.

He wondered how much Morgause's presence had effected her. it couldn't have been the reason she turned against Camelot; Morgause had still been alive when that happened. But the things that she had done after Morgause had died, those acts were potentially not done willingly by Morgana alone. He liked to think that anyway. Would she be different when she woke up? Gaius had only taught him briefly about possession. He said the subject was often unaware that they had been possessed, instead thinking they were going mad, hearing voices in their heads. That would explain what Merlin had heard. Morgana hadn't know he could speak to people with his mind. It was a skill used mainly by the druids, but occasionally, he had heard her talking to someone in her mind, but he had only heard one side of the conversation and it had confused him.

He doubted Morgause had taught her to communicate with thought, but because of the extent of Morgana's power, it was unsurprising that she would have the ability without training.

He gazed at her. He couldn't get over how much she had changed since they met. He was still wearing the same jacket, shirt and neckerchief! She had transformed from a delicate noblewoman to a high priestess, the most wanted sorceress in the five kingdoms, a woman who lives alone, with her dragon in a hovel in the Darkling Woods.

It was only while she was asleep she looked like his Morgana.

Aithusa landed across from him, with something furry hanging out of her mouth. Merlin walked over to her and pulled what was left of the rabbit out of her mouth.

'What happened to it?' he asked in disbelief.

She shrugged, trying to hide a guilty look.

'This is just the fur! Where did all the meat go?'

More guilt.

'Aithusa. Did you eat the rabbit?'

She hung her head, standing on her hind legs to hide her face behind two clawed hands.

'I don't mind.' He reassured her. 'You can eat as many rabbits as you like, _so long as_ you bring me back one.' Her ears pricked up.

'And carry it in your hands, not your mouth!'

She nodded frantically, scrambling off into the bushes to find some more rabbits.

Merlin laughed. She was like a dog. He wondered if Kilgharrah had been like that once. The idea seemed even funnier.

He sat back down next to Morgana and stared into the fire, waiting for Aithusa to bring back a rabbit in any kind of semi-edible condition.

As he did, Morgana began to stir. When she woke up, she groaned, clutching her head.

'How do you feel?' he asked cautiously.

'Like death.' She mumbled groggily, propping herself up on one arm.

'Where's Aithusa?'

'She's gone to get some rabbits.'

She nodded, then grimaced, pressing a hand to her forehead.

Merlin offered her a hand to get up and she accepted gratefully, walking a few steps giddily over to the rock he had been sitting on.

"What do you remember?" Merlin asked her after a while.

'Morgause.' She replied simply.

'What did she say to you?'

'She… she was saying goodbye. Properly this time.' Her eyes filled with tears.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't push him away.

'She told me the time to choose a side has come.'

'Did she make you choose?'

Morgana nodded. 'I chose.'

At that moment, Aithusa fell from the sky, landing in front of them, making them both jump.

'Aithusa!' Merlin exclaimed.

'Mer-mum! MUM!' Her reply was muffled by what was hanging out of her mouth. It _looked _like it might've been a rabbit once. In fact, it might've been a few rabbits once.

Merlin wiped spittle off his face, trying not to grimace and asked 'Did you find a rabbit for me?'

Aithusa unfolded her tightly clasped hands to reveal one rabbit, still perfectly intact, and, trying not to get dragon dribble on it, she handed it to Merlin.

'Mer-mum. Mum.' She began quietly.

Merlin started to thank her, but Aithusa wasn't finished yet.

'BUNNY!' she screamed, more spit flying through the air as she enthusiastically jumped up and down, in the excitement of presenting her catch to them.

She ran around in circles like a dog chasing its tail. Merlin turned to face Morgana, clutching the rabbit by its feet.

She tried to hide her laughter, and stood slowly to wipe something off his face with her thumb. He looked down at it. It was a bit of fur, mixed in with dragon spit.

'Urgh, gross!' he exclaimed, pulling a face.

She laughed, and wiped it on his jacket.

'Aithusa!' she called. Aithusa was still running around wildly ecstatic about her new word, and her dinner.

'Come here.'

Aithusa ran to sit in front of her, chewing enthusiastically, her shoulders rising and falling rapidly.

Merlin listened over his shoulder, glancing up occasionally as he began to prepare the rabbit, mainly using his magic.

'You've been such a good girl, helping us look out for bad people and finding us food.'

Aithusa swallowed a huge mouthful of rabbit.

'I'm so proud of you. So is Merlin. Aren't you Merlin?' she called over to him.

'I definitely am.' He replied, grimacing as he took off his jacket to find it covered in dragon spit.

'Would you like to go out and find some more rabbits for yourself?'

Merlin pivoted on the spot to face them.

Aithusa smiled, baring all her needle sharp white teeth.

Morgana and Aithusa looked at him expectantly.

'Why not?' he threw his hands up and grinned at them. 'That's a _great _idea!'

Aithusa bounced up and down.

'Go on.' Morgana laughed.

She flew off again.

'More rabbit?'

He stood to help Morgana back to her seat.

'She does love it. It was the first thing she caught all by herself.'

He handed her a bowl of stew.

'If you still feel like rabbit after what we just saw.' He said, sitting next to her.

They chatted to each other while they ate, never touching on the subject of Arthur or Mordred or what Morgause had said to Morgana. Politics had no place with them tonight.

They were getting ready to put out their tiny fire and go to bed when a high-pitched screaming pierced the night, coming from directly above them.

They looked up to see something falling towards them. Merlin dived at Morgana, pushing her to the ground out of the way, as whatever it was hit the ground behind them.

The screaming grew louder, followed by a flapping noise. Merlin looked over his shoulder at the dragon, who was trying to look under the thing that had fallen, calling 'Mer-mum? MUM? MUM?!'

'Aithusa?' Morgana wheezed.

Merlin realised he was still lying on top of her, and blushing furiously stood and helped her up.

Aithusa turned around, seeing them and squawking in delight. Then she froze and she began trying to hide the thing behind her outstretched wings.

Merlin and Morgana looked at each other.

'Hug?' Morgana asked the dragon innocently, arms hovering in the air.

Aithusa enthusiastically bounced over to her. She turned around as Morgana enclosed her in a hug, and saw Merlin gaping her.

'It's a boar.'

'A boar?'

'A wild boar!'

Aithusa realised she had been tricked and hide her head under Morgana's hair.

Morgana let go of her dragon and stood next to Merlin to stare at the dead pig.

'It has tusks!' she exclaimed.

The dragon was trying to bury itself in the dead leaves on the ground behind them.

'That's… Not a rabbit Aithusa.'

The dragon sobbed.

'You could've killed us!' he went on.

She nodded through her loud dragon sobbing.

'Morgana said _rabbits_!'

Aithusa wailed.

'Merlin!' Morgana said, pulling at his sleeve. 'That's enough. What if she hurt her teeth carrying that thing?'

Aithusa sniffed loudly, breathing out a puff of smoke.

'What if she hurt my face dropping it on me?' he said incredulously.

'Merlin!'

Aithusa blew her nose loudly on her wing.

'Fine! I'm sorry Aithusa.'

Aithusa immediately stopped sniffling and bounded over to the hog, sinking her teeth into it.

'Well, I don't think we need to be worried about her teeth, do you?'

Morgana shook her head, looking faintly disgusted, as Aithusa made mouth noises, playing with her food.

After turning down many offers from Aithusa to share her food with her, telling her how they'd just enjoyed the rabbit she caught them, they curled up side-by-side.

Morgana looked as though she had fallen to sleep immediately, but Merlin couldn't sleep. Mordred's face swam in front of his eyes. He was just a little boy_. But little boys turn into men Merlin. _He told himself firmly. Mordred was destined to kill Arthur. He had to kill Mordred, he had no choice.

Merlin looked at Morgana. He remembered how fiercely she had protected the boy. She had changed into a different person since then, but Merlin could still see his Morgana in her. asking her to kill Mordred would be like asking himself to kill Arthur or Gaius.

He was brought out of his chain of thought by the sound of padding feet along the ground. Morgana frowned in her sleep, reaching out blindly toward the noise. Aithusa plonked herself down above their heads, looking at Merlin, rocking back and forth.

'What's wrong?' Merlin whispered, rolling onto his stomach to face her.

Aithusa groaned, clutching her stomach.

'Mer-muuum. Ow.'

'You ate too much?'

'OW.'

'Shh, shh. What did you expect? How can I help?'

Aithusa mimed performing a spell, holding out a clawed hand and making her eyes glow golden, then smirking evilly, laughing under her breath, rubbing her hands together.

Merlin chuckled at her impression of Morgana, wondering if she really did rub her hands together after each spell.

_ 'Éadnes.' _He said, directing the spell towards Aithusa's stomach. The dragon's eyes widened in delight.

'Mer-mum!' she said affectionately, and bounded back to the body of the boar.

'The same thing will happen if you keep eating!' Merlin hissed after her, but the dragon ignored him.

Merlin shook his head, but couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

•••

_Hopefully this chapter isn't too strange? i never thought Morgause got a proper goodbye, even if it was a bit better than some other characters, later on in the show, I thought Morgana and Morgause deserved it. Also, Merlin was taking his time telling Morgana he's Emrys, so i figured Morgause may as well be the one to drop that bombshell. Why not, eh?_

_Will update soon! Comments always welcome xx_


	11. Chapter 11

The last leg of the journey it rained. Aithusa flew high above the clouds, carrying the items that were most important. Merlin and Morgana walked side-by-side. Morgana should've felt more at ease in the forests. They were the closest thing she had to home. She had lived here, in her hovel and before that they had been a refuge from Uther and his stupidity. But now she was travelling through them, all grown up, with Emrys at her side? The idea seemed impossible, and it made her angry. _Merlin_ was _Emrys_? She would never have guessed in a million years. But she trusted Morgause was honest. Did that mean Merlin was going to try to kill her? But he had saved her. And he'd had so many opportunities to kill her before… Maybe he didn't know. That seemed possible. But then again…No. he knew. He definitely knew. And he mustn't know she knew. Maybe that was what was keeping her safe. If Emrys knew she was on to him… But it's _Merlin_. Merlin was her friend. wasn't he? Every step she took, words span around her head_ 'friend, foe, friend, foe, friend, foe…'_ How had Merlin kept his secret all these years? He must've had a friend, or a mentor; a teacher? No one could keep a secret that big for so long, without telling a soul. He must've told someone. And he should've told her.  
Merlin held up a hand and they both stopped.  
'Can you hear that?' he looked around.  
'Merlin.' She looked past him, over his shoulder.  
He turned to look.  
A little girl stood a few feet away from them, hiding in the trees, looking anxiously at the two sorcerers. She had black hair and blue eyes, and immediately reminded Morgana of herself as a child. The rain had soaked the girl to the bone, and she was shivering, her arms folded around herself, trying to stay warm.  
She gestured to Merlin to wait, and went to the little girl. The girl didn't run away, but she looked up at her with trepidation. Morgana crouched down next to her, and took a hold of her hands.  
'Where are your parents?' she asked her over the noise of the rain.  
The girl shook her head, and water droplets flew from her hair. 'They're not here anymore.'  
'Where did they go?'  
'They're dead. Some people came to my village and they killed everyone. Only a few people got away.' The girl's lip quivered.  
'Morgana.' Merlin was crouched down next to her. He had heard all of this.  
'She's dressed like a druid.' He said quietly in her ear. That was true. The little girls clothes were very plain; the only thing she wore of any value was a was a small silver triskele necklace, a traditional druid symbol.  
'What's your name?'  
'Zaira.'  
'Zaira, do you know where your home is?' Merlin asked gently.  
She nodded.  
'Can you take me and Morgana there?'  
She nodded. 'You have to carry me though.' She said, instantly trusting them and climbed onto Morgana's shoulders.  
Morgana was surprised at how much such a little person could weigh. She gladly accepted the hand Merlin offered her to stand up.  
'You going to be alright to carry her?'  
'I'm fine. We will take it in turns.'  
He nodded.  
'That way!' Zaira pointed right of where they had been walking. '_Ages_ that way.'  
The rain eased as they trudged through the trees, and Morgana realised Zaira was playing with her hair. Oh how far she'd come. A year ago she would've never imagined she'd be free again, trekking through the darkling woods to kill the druid boy with Merlin by her side, Aithusa flying unchained above her and carrying a little girl on her shoulders.  
'Your hair is so knotty!' The girl called down to her. 'You should brush it more.' Merlin turned to grin at Morgana.  
'It'd probably be dirty too, but the nice rain came and washed it for you.' she continued. 'Well kinda. It could use some soap, but this is gonna have to do.'  
'I'm going to give you some braids.' she announced, and Morgana's eyes widened, but she agreed to a few braids.  
Zaira wasn't exactly gentle. She pulled her little fingers through the braids, ripping at knots as she came to them, tut-tutting Morgana's laziness in not having combed her hair. Morgana gritted her teeth, determined not to express any pain, not wanting to upset the little girl, or appear weak to Emrys, just in case.  
After a while the tugging on her hair stopped.  
'Merlin.' She called quietly.  
He paused for her to catch up to him.  
'What's happening up there?' she said, pointing to the top of her head.  
'She's fallen asleep. Your hair looks lovely, don't worry. It's all incredibly adorable.'  
Morgana blushed. 'How old do you think she is?'  
He looked at the girl thoughtfully. 'No older than four or five.'  
'Do you think her parents are really dead?'  
'It's… possible they're not, but... it's pretty unlikely.' He said sadly. 'Bandits often ransack outlying villages, druid or otherwise. It's easiest to just kill everything and everyone, that way no one can report it to anyone who might help them, and the bandits can continue on.'  
'Then... she has no one.'  
'Well.. Now she has us.'  
'Yeah. She does.'  
She's been through a lot.'  
'Maybe when we get to her village we'll find someone. Extended family, or friends?'  
'Maybe.'  
He smiled. 'Do you want me to take her?'  
'It's alright, I'll keep going for a while.'  
Zaira woke up when the rain stopped.  
'It's gonna be sunny again!' she exclaimed happily.  
Morgana looked up at the sky. It was still overcast, but there was one tiny patch of blue. Then Zaira's face blocked out her view.  
'I'm thirsty! You got any water?'  
They sat, and Merlin pulled two flasks out of the packs. He handed one to Zaira and one to Morgana, then remembering, took back Morgana's flask, took a sip from it and gave it back. Zaira watched this curiously.  
'Why did you just do that?' she asked him.  
Merlin and Morgana exchanged a quick look.  
'I always make sure the water is nothing but the sweetest water for Morgana.' he said, smiling at the little girl. Morgana felt herself blush.  
'Why didn't you check mine?' Zaira squealed.  
'Ah!' he clapped a hand to his forehead. 'Of course!' he exclaimed, taking the flask she handed him. He took a long gulp, then handed it back.  
'Don't tell Morgana, yours is the most delicious water of all! Even nicer than water blessed by fairies!' he said with an exaggerated wink, tapping his nose. Zaira shrieked with laughter, and happily drank from her flask, saving some at the end for Morgana - 'So you don't feel left out'-before climbing back onto Morgana's back, chattering about magical fairie water.  
'Hey you!' She smiled up at the little girl, who giggled back.  
'Are you going to let Merlin carry you for a little bit now?'  
'Throw me!' the little girl squealed.  
'Are you sure?'  
She nodded eagerly.  
Morgana held Zaira while Merlin put down his bags and held out both hands to catch her.  
'Ready?'  
She wriggled in Morgana's arms.  
'One, two, three!' Morgana threw her high into the air toward Merlin, and using magic, he caught her safely.  
She hadn't realised she had been holding her breath, but Morgana let out a sigh of relief.  
Zaira giggled. 'Again again!'  
Merlin laughed and threw her up into the air again.  
'Come on! Let's keep moving.' he grinned.  
Morgana picked up the bags and walked behind him, marvelling at the way the sunshine hit the raindrops on the trees, making them gleam.  
Zaira lent backward, looking at Morgana upside down. She pulled a face at the little girl, who roared with laughter and clapped her hands. Merlin turned around and Morgana quickly composed her expression, raising an eyebrow innocently.  
'What's funny?' he asked, bemused. She shrugged and Zaira grinned wickedly.  
He turned around again and Morgana pulled another face and she burst out laughing again.  
'What?!' he said.  
This continued on and on until Merlin turned around quickly and caught Morgana red-handed.  
'I saw you! I saw you!' he yelled, grinning lopsidedly and Zaira laughed even harder.  
Zaira clambered down from Merlin's back.  
'Now we gotta tickle you!' she cried, tackling the high priestess around her waist.  
Morgana dropped to her knees crying with laughter, before falling backward the rest of the way to the ground, the tiny child yelling encouragement to Merlin to join in. When Merlin and Zaira had finally finished tickling her they lay down next to her.  
'You're very ticklish.' The little girl said, kicking her legs up in the air.  
She stood suddenly, and pulled on each of their hands, so they sat up. She put her hands on her hips and examined them.  
'Are you two married?' she asked curiously.  
Merlin and Morgana looked at each other quickly and then back to Zaira.  
'N-n-no.' Merlin stuttered.  
'Well you should be.' she said bluntly, turning toward the road ahead, leaving a sudden awkward silence behind her.  
'Come on!' she called over her shoulder. 'Who's going to carry me?'  
•••

Merlin lay awake. Morgana slept next to him, a frown playing across her face. She still had bad dreams. Zaira lay in between them, Morgana's arm wrapped around her shoulders protectively. Morgana had grown very attached to her very quickly, and Aithusa had seemed a bit jealous.  
Earlier that evening they had set up a camp. Zaira wasn't sure how much further they would have to travel to reach her village, but she didn't think it would be more than a day or two. When Aithusa had seen the smoke from the campfire, she landed, not far away and bounded up through the trees toward the fire. Zaira had screamed in fright, and so had Aithusa, staggering backwards, falling onto her back and playing dead, with her tongue stuck out and her legs twitching in the air, making exaggerated groaning noises to add emphasis to the fact that she was clearly dying. Merlin had calmed Zaira down and picked her up so she could go and meet the dragon, who was trying to make her mouth foam with her spit.  
'Aithusa this is Zaira. She's a friend.'  
Aithusa stood and circled Zaira, sniffing her suspiciously.  
'What's she doing?' Zaira had asked nervously, playing with her necklace.  
'She won't hurt you.'  
Aithusa sat back on her hind legs and tilted her head to one side, baring all her teeth into a frankly terrifying smile.  
'What does that mean?'  
'I think she's smiling.'  
'Really?'  
'mmhmm. It's a big dragon smile.'  
'It's kinda scary.'  
Aithusa tutted, and tried to saunter to the campfire, but she kept her eyes on Zaira to watch her reaction, and tripped over her tail and fell flat on her face.  
Zaira giggled.  
The little dragon hadn't been happy with their dinner either.  
'Do you want some rabbit Aithusa?' Morgana had asked.  
The dragon had gone pale. 'No no no no no!' Merlin hadn't even known that dragons could go pale.  
'Bunny is blergh!'  
'Well what are you going to eat then?'  
'Hmmm…' the dragon scratched her chin with one long talon. 'CHEE-KEEEN! Chicken chicken chicken!'  
She had puffed her chest up proudly as the group praised her on her new word.  
'But we don't have a chicken to give the dragon.' Zaira had said, munching on a piece of rabbit.  
'WHAT?! NO CHEEKEEN?!' The dragon wailed. 'Noooooo! Mer-mum? Mum?! No chicken?'  
'I'm sorry Aithusa but -'  
Morgana's voice was drowned out by loud dragon sobs.  
'Have some rabbit!' she called to the dragon.  
'WHHHHHY?!'  
'New word Aithusa!'  
'No chicken. Whhhhhhy?'  
'We'll find you a chicken soon.' Merlin had promised.  
She blew steam out of her nose, and settled down chewing a piece of rabbit, a strained expression on her face.  
He chuckled to himself and Zaira kicked him in her sleep.  
Merlin looked around for Aithusa, and started when he found her sitting right above his head.  
'Chicken Mer-mum?'  
'Sorry Aithusa, I haven't found any yet.' he whispered.  
'Pfft.' She snorted, gently pushing his head back onto the ground.  
'No chicken.' she mimicked.

•••

_Been writing a lot lately! I couldn't help inventing a character. I'm not sure quite how her name's pronounced. I thought it would be either said 'ZAH-ra' or ZAI-ra... I like both! What do you think?_

_Anyway, Merlin and Morgana seem to be going a little bit off track after they find Zaira and promise to take her home...but maybe that'll be good for them :)_

_Please tell me what you think, I love reading all your wonderful comments. Will update soon xx_


	12. Chapter 12

By late morning the next day Zaira spotted something from high up on Merlin's shoulders.

'There it is! That's my village!' she yelled, pointing down into a little valley. Morgana stood on tiptop to peer over Merlin's shoulder. Zaira's village looked very similar to the one Merlin had taken her to when she had first discovered her magic. The homes were tents, made of dull faded materials. They made their way down the hill and Zaira whimpered. 'I wanna get down now.' she said quietly, clutching at Morgana's hand. Nerves twisted in Morgana's gut, and a prickling sensation crept over her skin. Someone else was here.

The village was eerily quiet. A soft wind whistled through the trees around them.

Looking around Morgana saw what Zaira had told them was true; these people had been slaughtered. Bodies lay slain across the path, blood splattered several feet all around them. The smell burnt the back of her throat, and made her eyes water and her hand tighten around Zaira's.

'Merlin…There's smoke coming from the fireplace.'

They approached it with caution. The smoking logs suddenly burst into flames and they jumped backward.

'Zaira?' A woman ran towards them, out of no where, her eyes wide.

Merlin and Morgana looked at the little girl cowering between them. A small group of scared looking people had appeared also, and they stood behind the woman. They were dressed as druids too, and amongst them there were a few children Zaira's age.

'Who are you?' Morgana challenged, folding her arms protectively around Zaira.

'Mother?'

'Zaira it's me!'

'Mother!'

The little girl pulled away from Morgana and ran into the woman's arms.

'You're alive! Zaira!' the woman said tearfully as Zaira sobbed into her shoulder.

Spotting Merlin and Morgana she turned to them, one arm clutching the little girl to her shoulder, the other outstretched. 'Thank you so much, thank you for bringing her home.' Without further warning she grabbed them both, squashing them together into an uncomfortable hug, kissing them both on the forehead.

'What happened here?' Merlin asked.

'A group of soldiers attacked our village, without warning. They killed everyone, we think we're the only ones who are left. I was so afraid they'd taken Zaira.' she said, stroking the little girl's hair. 'But she's here now. She's home.' Zaira sniffled. 'We've been in hiding, in case they come back.' The woman continued quieter now. 'I can't tell you where.'

'Quickly!' An authorative voice called. 'We have to go now.'

'We have to leave. But thank you so so much.'

'Mother, I can't just leave now! These are my friends! They brought me back here.'

'Zaira, we have to go now.'

'I wanna say goodbye first.' she replied stubbornly.

Zaira's mother looked back over her shoulder at the man, who held up three fingers.

'Three minutes.'

Merlin crouched down next to Zaira.

'Thank you for bringing me home to my mother.' the little girl sniffed.

'It was my pleasure.' he smiled at her. 'We'll come back soon, me and Morgana and we'll visit you.'

she nodded. 'I'd like that.'

Morgana knelt down next to the little girl and enclosed her in a tight hug.

'I'm going to miss you.' she said to her.

'I'll miss you too Morgana! But you're gonna come back and visit me, once you've finished your quest right?'

'I will, I promise.'

'Will you keep this?' The little girl handed Morgana her necklace, the silver triskele.

'Are you sure you want me to have this?'

'I'm really sure. I love you Morgana.'

'I love you too.' Morgana said, in a trembling voice.

The little girl hugged her again, and then held each of their hands.

'Emrys.' she said seriously. 'The one you're looking for, he's a knight in Camelot now. He's travelling with the king now, he'll reach a valley only a little while from here in two days. You'll be able to find him there, and then you can kill him so you can visit me again.'

The two sorcerers looked at the little druid girl in shock, who smiled back at them.

'You just gotta follow the sun as it sets. That's the way the valley goes.'

'Zaira!'

'Goodbye Emrys. Goodbye Morgana.'

She kissed them both on the cheek and ran back to her mother. The fire flickered out, and then they were gone.

Morgana choked back tears until they left the village, then she couldn't hold it back anymore. She ran up the hill that surrounded the valley, Merlin calling after her. At the top of the hill she broke down crying, hugging her knees.

When he found her, he sat with her, unsure of what to do next.

She pulled him into a hug, and they sat as Aithusa circled around the midday sun.

It seemed so much quieter without Zaira there with them. She hadn't stayed with them long but had made Morgana feel alive again. Adults sometimes find children's energy irritating, but to Morgana it was like being woken up from a deep sleep, and seeing the brighter side of things. She remembered the first day they had found Zaira how she had carried her on her shoulders. The awe that the simplest things brought her was inspirational; the happiness she found in someone pulling a funny face something to be wondered at. Maybe adults should take a leaf out of a child's book. See the brightness in the darkest of places.

She dried her tears and turned to face Merlin.

'She was telling us where Mordred was, wasn't she?'

'She was.' he agreed thoughtfully.

'Two days from now, Arthur and Mordred are going to pass through the valley?'

'Apparently so.'

'You should know, _Emrys_. Don't you know everything?' she said challengingly.

'Ah.'

'You really should've told me Merlin.'

'You don't sound angry?'

'I'm not. I already knew.'

'You what?'

she smiled leaning back against him.

'How did you know? Morgana?'

she turned to face him, and without a second thought planted a kiss on his lips.

'Never you mind how I know.' she smiled, and began her way down the hill, leaving a bewildered warlock behind to carry the bags.

•••

They started off again just after the sun had risen. Aithusa had been anxious to leave the spot they had been in, and neither Merlin or Morgana protested, packing up quietly.

They would reach the valley within three hours and then they could form a plan before Mordred arrived. They were both lost in thought, though Morgana noticed Merlin frequently tracing a finger along his lips. She made sure Merlin couldn't see her smirk. She had always been flirtatious when she lived in Camelot, and had found it an entertaining way to get what she wanted when it came to men. She'd never gone up to anyone and kissed them before, usually her methods had been ever-so-slightly subtler. Even though she wasn't trying to lead him on, and she had a sneaking suspicion her feelings for Merlin were genuine, she still enjoyed watching him puzzle it all out. She had never felt about someone the way she felt about Merlin. To be honest it scared her a little. She prided herself on being independent, someone who didn't need anyone anymore.

The trees narrowed, and the path became rockier as the trees thinned out altogether. Then they reached a path that ran through dark grey rocks topped with dull grass that stretched far into the distance. Morgana was more interested in the flags that lined their path.

'What're these flags?' she asked.

'Mostly for pilgrims. It's sacred for those who follow the old religion.'

A faint memory of one of Morgause's teachings rang in the back of her mind.

'He's travelling to the cauldron of Alyandrod?' she said quizzically.

Merlin shrugged, clearly as confused as she was.

'Let's get to the top of that cliff.' Morgana said suddenly. 'We'll be able to see them as they pass.'

It would've been a long climb. Aithusa had excitedly skipped around them in circles, yelling 'FLY FLY FLY!' until they got the idea. She was volunteering to take them up. At first both Merlin and Morgana had refused. Aithusa wasn't exactly an expert at flying; she would frequently get stuck flying in a circle, or somersault in mid-air when the thermals took her too high for her liking. But eventually, she managed to convince them, illustrating her capabilities, by carrying one of their bags up and back without any issues, begging and whining until they finally agreed.

Morgana went first. Merlin helped her up onto the dragon's back. She sat clinging to Aithusa full of trepidation.

'Are you sure you're alright about this?' Merlin asked her. She nodded, afraid if she spoke her apprehension would become even more apparent.

Thunder rumbled softly in the distance as Aithusa took to the sky. Her little dragon spread it's wings and glided higher and higher, until Merlin was just a little dot on the ground. She laughed. The clouds swept against her face, like mist. Aithusa flew higher and higher, and Morgana saw lightning flash in the clouds around them. Then they broke through the dark clouds and the sun shone again. The clouds beneath them looked soft and fluffy, not nearly as vicious as they are on the ground and beyond them she could see a mountain range far away in the distance. The horizon curved. It was an impossible idea, the world was flat, but she could see it. Everything was quiet. she lay along the dragon's back, and for a moment, it was peaceful. She wondered where Zaira was, and wished the little girl could've seen this. Then Aithusa plummeted back to the Earth, pulling out of the dive perfectly, and landing neatly on the ground. Morgana slid back onto the ground, her legs wobbling a bit, and peering over the cliff to see a very relieved looking Merlin standing on the ground below. Aithusa leapt off the cliff to meet him, and within a minute or two, she saw them ascend into the sky. She sat daydreaming, until they returned, Merlin grinning from ear to ear.

'Thank you Aithusa!' She said, running over to give the dragon a pat.

'That was amazing!' Merlin exclaimed.

The rain began as they set up camp on top of the cliff. Merlin kept the fire going with magic, but they still got soaked to the bone with freezing cold rain.

Then they began to plan.

•••

_It was hard to give up Zaira But i have a feeling _maybe _we'll meet her again soon._

_Tell me what you thought! Thank you for all your reviews so far. Will update very soon xx_


	13. Chapter 13

Merlin was nervous. Their plan was about to be put into action, and he was on edge. Any minute now, The King would become visible to them, high up on the cliffs. Morgana stood on one side, staring down haughtily at the path, and he stood on the other side, crouched down, in hiding. He didn't want Arthur to see him, because if he made any association between Merlin and Morgana he would never trust Merlin again.

Sighing, Merlin decided to go through with what he had hoped he could've convinced himself wasn't necessary. Muttering under his breath, he changed into one of Morgana's old dresses, and performed an ageing spell. Of course, Arthur would recognise good old Dragoon, so an alternative 'disguise' would have to do.

Merlin groaned, and tried to stand up straight, putting a hand on his aching back. Across the valley, he could've sworn he could see Morgana laughing; but his eyesight was pretty poor all of a sudden. He was now a _woman_. He looked down at himself, feeling more than a little bit dizzy. Thank the Gods this wasn't permanent. Even Aithusa was laughing! Now he could hear Morgana cackling across the ravine and Aithusa's guffawing laugh from high above. Then they both went quiet, as three horses came into sight.

Merlin instantly forgot his humiliating disguise and focused on what was playing out in front of him.

As the horses drew nearer his heart pounded in his chest. There were so many things that could go wrong.

Their voices carried on the wind.

'How much further?' Arthur wasn't stupid. He knew that potentially, many people could see him, but he could see no one. He was on high alert.

'Not far. This gorge leads to the cauldron.' That must be Mordred's voice. He saw the pale man with black hair on the horse in front of the King's, and he felt Mordred scanning for any sign of danger, using his mind. Merlin kept his mind quiet.

The third horse carried a man who sat bolt upright, and wore - to Merlin's horror- a brown leather jacket with a blue shirt and red neckerchief. This must be George. Merlin smiled to himself.

Then Mordred found him. He felt it; a prickling _inside _his mind. Morgana must've felt it too, he could feel the connection extended to her as well.

'My lord-' Mordred's voice began.

Thankfully, that was the moment Aithusa swooped towards the horses, breathing fire, down towards the ground. As Merlin had predicted, Arthur's instincts were sharp enough to manage to through himself off his horse, landing safely on the ground. Mordred managed as well, crouching with his hands over his head on the rocky path. George however wasn't so lucky, and although he had avoided being roasted, something had gone wrong as he tried to escape his horse, and he had slipped so that he was still sitting in his saddle, upside-down, under his horse.

Arthur went to his aid, while looking around systematically scanning the cliffs surrounding them.

'Morgana must be near.' he said.

'You go, I will distract them.' Mordred replied evenly.

'No.'

'You must! Take George, I will meet you at the lake.'

'But you are the only reason we're here! If something were to happen it would be-'

'My lord!' he interrupted.

The King stared at him, and Mordred stared back. Then Arthur gave up, and clapping the druid boy on the shoulder, he grabbed George by the arm and began to walk swiftly, using the cover of the rocks, toward the lake.

Merlin glanced over at Morgana. She looked back at him, just before she materialised at the base of the cliff.

He took a deep breath. Morgana could look after herself. He had to make sure Arthur made it to wherever it was he was going, and didn't get himself killed on the way.

•••

It was quiet. She knew what was about to happen. Any minute now; he would be just around the corner... And then there he was. She pulled at the air, knocking Mordred unconscious. she laughed disbelievingly. She approached him cautiously. He was out cold. This was the plan. Now she had to kill him. Take no chances. He cannot be allowed to live. _Brace yourself Morgana_. and…. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill the little Druid Boy who lay at her feet. Could she? She leant down and stroked his cheek. How could he have grown up so fast?

His eyes snapped open, taking in his surroundings.

'Why don't you kill me?' he asked her.

'We're of a kind.' she said, emotionlessly, backing away slightly. She couldn't do this.

He stood up, backing away. 'Never.'

'You wear the uniform well, but we both know what lies beneath.'

He scowled at her.

'You think that Arthur would tolerate you for one minute if he knew the truth?' she snarled at him. 'One of his knights a sorcerer.'

'He does know.' Mordred replied.

_What? _

'And one day he will come to accept it.'

'No…You're lying! He doesn't know. If he did you'd be dead.' She raised her hand, preparing herself again. She was going to kill him. She had to for Merlin.

'You would strike one of your own?'

There was a pain in her chest.

'I am not strong enough to defeat you Morgana but know this; hatred as yours can never triumph. I hope one day you will find the love and compassion that used to fill your heart.' And then she was thrown through the air, as her heart broke and everything went black.

•••

How much longer was George going to complain for? He acted constantly as though he were a startled rabbit. Arthur pulled him along by the arm, almost roughly, heading towards the lake. When it finally came into view, he let go of George's arm, dumping him unceremoniously on the ground.

'I've got to go back for him.'

'My lord you cannot.'

'I won't leave a knight behind.'

And with that he was off, jogging in the direction that he had come from.

Merlin swore under his breath. this was what they had been afraid of.

Cursing this stupid idea he stumbled out onto the path in front of Arthur.

'Help! Help!' he cried, in his best woman's voice.

The prince came to a halt, suspiciously quizzical.

'Who are you?'

'I am but a poor old lady, travelling through this valley kind sir.'

Arthur stared at Merlin.

'Have we met before? You look familiar.'

'Oh.' Merlin replied, puffing up balding hair, and grinning at the King.

_Quite frankly I'll be insulted if he _does _recognise me._ Merlin thought.

Arthur grimaced, staring at Merlin's decaying teeth.

'Now. What are you doing here?' He asked.

'I am the King of Camelot. My business is none of your concern.'

'Nothing is hidden from…The Dolma!' Merlin announced dramatically, clutching at straws.

'The…Dolma?' Arthur said scornfully, eyebrows raised, arms folded.

'That is I.' he bowed, then kicking himself, curtseyed deeply as well.

'So. You still have not answered my question.' Merlin stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

'I have to pass, I need to help my knight defeat an evil sorceress!'

'Once you answer, you may pass.'

'You can't talk to me like that, I'm The_ King!_ Now let me _pass_!

'Shan't!'

Arthur spun around on the spot, sighing in frustration. He crossed his arms and spoke loudly into Merlin's face.

'I'm here to cleanse the soul of my knight, the one who could currently be _in serious trouble _who has a terrible affliction that I am told the blessing of the Goddess from this lake will heal.'

'And what is this- horrific- ailment?'

'He is a sorcerer. Something that was inflicted on him as a child that he has had to deal with for his entire life, living in shame, and _now _you will let me pass, so that I can assist him.' and Arthur pushed past Merlin and continued jogging back along the road.

'Wait!' Merlin yelled, lolloping along behind him, trying not to trip over his damned skirts.

And a flood of panic threatened to overwhelm him as he saw Mordred, smiling, jogging to meet Arthur halfway.

'Mordred?' Arthur said incredulously. 'I thought we'd lost you!'

'So did I.' he replied breathlessly.

'How did you defeat Morgana?'

'Even she is no match for a knight of the round table.'

He turned to look at Merlin, who lowered his face quickly.

'Arms for the poor ya rich good-for-nothing lowlives?' he yelled at them, cackling, trying to act like an insane old lady.

'How dare you? This is the King of Camelot!' Mordred went to draw his sword.

'Oooh, is he now?'

'Y-Yes! He is!' Mordred spluttered, enraged.

'Fight me!' Merlin yelled desperately, rolling up his sleeves, slapping his thighs.

'Come, Mordred. This... poor woman, clearly has some _severe…_ issues. And we have business to attend to.' Arthur said, looking almost amused.

And with that Mordred and Arthur walked back towards the lake.

Merlin was torn. You couldn't just _delete _your magical powers, which made him think there might be something more sinister to Mordred's Blessing. But it would have to wait. He had to find Morgana. She was his first priority now.

•••

She was out cold. Lying curled up in a ball on the road. Merlin ran over to her and rolled her over onto her back, searching for a pulse. He could've laughed with relief when he found it, and when her eyes flickered open. She screamed, pushing him away.

'No wait! Morgana it's me Merlin!'

She stared at him incredulously and he grinned, displaying all his blacked teeth.

'Can't you get rid of the disguise?' she said. 'You make a creepy old lady.'

'I thought you'd never ask! I'll just be a minute.' He jumped behind a rock to change. He was making sure not to be the first one to mention Mordred. He realised now the plan had been bound to fail. He couldn't have expected Morgana to kill him on sight. Mordred was like a son to her.

When he emerged, Morgana hadn't stood up. She was staring at the ground, her hair hanging around one side of her face like a curtain.

'I failed.' she said slowly.

'No you didn't.' he replied, trying to sound upbeat. 'This was only our first go. We'll do better next time.'

she nodded expressionlessly as he pulled her to her feet.

'Arthur knows about Mordred. He knows about his magic, Mordred told me!' she said feverishly as they walked.

'I know. We've got to try and find a place where we can see what happens.'

'What's happening?'

'Arthur thinks he's going to cleanse Mordred's soul in the Cauldron of Alyandrod, with the blessing of the Triple Goddess.'

'No!' Morgana stopped in her tracks.

'What is it?'

'That'll only make him ten times more powerful!'

'What?'

'It's true! You can't _get rid_ of magic Merlin! Trust me. I tried.'

They hurried to the Lake. Hiding behind a hill, they watched as Mordred performed the magic necessary to summon the Triple Goddess, then willingly entered the lake. From the shore, it looked like a white light, blindingly bright surrounding him. Then something strange happened. Merlin and Morgana were knocked over by an invisible explosion, that didn't effect Arthur at all. As Mordred strode out of the lake, another shockwave hit them, and they staggered again. The power radiating off him was like a heat. It was unbearable, burning through his skin, into every corner of his mind, burning him away. He tried to push it back, battling off the concentrated power. And then it was gone; Only a tingling sensation remained, buzzing through Merlin's body and through his mind, and a ringing in his ears. Morgana stopped struggling as well, and shook her head a few times, maybe trying to get rid of the ringing noise too. One thing was definite. Mordred was undoubtably more powerful than ever.

The two men on the shore grasped each other's forearm in a gesture of congratulation.

'Now I can truly serve you, my King.' Mordred said.

George had managed to regroup the horses, and was ready to leave. As he was helping the king onto his horse, Mordred turned around a glaring at the hill Merlin and Morgana were hiding behind.

_I WIN. _

The message hit them like a sharp smack in the face. The Druid Boy's voice was loud, authoritative.

as they rode away, Merlin could've sworn he saw a smirk cross the young knights face.

He felt sick to the stomach. Time was running out.

•••

_Really hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was fun to write a scene with Arthur and Merlin! I based this chapter quite heavily on 5x09, because I thought the scene between Mordred and Morgana was really important, and also the Dolma was awesome! Anyway, will update soon xx_


	14. Chapter 14

They stumbled back to the base of the cliff. Mordred had injured Morgana when he threw her through the air, and she had been ignoring the pain in her leg while there was still a chance of stopping him. She kept an arm around his shoulders as she walked, and the whole process was painfully slow, especially because crossing the valley out in the open made them an easy target.'Now he's gone and made himself, ten times more powerful.' she said, gritting her teeth through the pain shooting through her leg. 'And it's my fault.'

'It's not your fault.' Merlin said absently. His mind was working furiously, trying to figure out what Mordred's next move would be.

'I'm really sorry Merlin.' she said quietly, bringing him back into the present.

'It's fine, really. I didn't really expect we'd get him the first time around. He's clever, remember?' he smiled at her warmly.

They finally reached their spot at the base of the cliff. Aithusa was waiting for them smiling ecstatically holding a bunch of tattered looking flowers in her dragon claws. Looking at their expressions as they sat down, she frowned, flopped herself down on the ground and blew on the flowers, setting fire to them and throwing them over her shoulder, then started to sing a whiny, sad sounding song, her paws folded across her heart, looking mournfully at the ground.

After they had convinced her to stop, and Merlin had stomped out the spot fires from the bunch of fire, they ate and an awkward silence fell.

'So what happened?' Merlin asked.

'You first.' she replied.

'Well. I found Arthur.' she nodded, encouraging him to continue. 'He said I looked familiar which, to be honest, was incredibly insulting, seeing as i was dressed up as a one-hundred year old, old dear.' Morgana laughed. 'But he didn't figure out who it was i looked like. He didn't tell me much, obviously, but he definitely believed that this would work, and Mordred has no magic at all now. Now your turn.'

'I… um. found Mordred. or he found me.' she began feebly. 'I knocked him out, but then i went to kill him and i couldn't do it. I just couldn't. When he woke up i talked to him, and then he knocked me out and then you found me.' She hung her head in shame.

'Don't worry 'Gana. We did alright. Now we know what we're up against.'

she smiled. Merlin was trying to make her feel better. But she felt as though anything that happened to them now was her fault. If Mordred killed Arthur, then it was her fault.

She dreamed of the dungeon again that night. The darkness, the screaming, the hopelessness. The Sarrum's voice ringing in her ears. Aithusa crying, her claws scraping into the stone walls, making a noise that sent shivers down her spine. When she woke up it was still dark, and for a minute she feared she had never left that place. Then her hand found one of the embers from the fire. It burnt, but she clung on to it, because it was a real reminder. This was the real world.

•••

Merlin woke up early. The sky cast a dull grey light over the land. It was almost sunrise. He looked around. Aithusa slept, spread-eagled on her back, her hind legs kicking blindly at the air, snoring thunderously. He wondered how they slept through that. Morgana lay curled up, clutching a dying ember from the fire in her hand. He frowned. The embers in the fireplace were still warm. He looked closer at her hand and saw it was burnt. He stood up and wandered around their campsite, collecting herbs, mixing them together into an ointment. Gauis would've been proud of how much he'd remembered. He could've made a more effective liquid, but he'd decided against it after seeing his least favourite plant growing innocently next to some chickweed. Hemlock. he used his magic to set it on fire, and casually continued on collecting more benign weeds. By the time he'd made a substantial amount the sun had risen and Morgana was beginning to wake up. Her eyes snapped open, and she slowly opened her hand, letting the ember drop to the ground. She looked at the palm of her hand with wide eyes. He sat down next to her and held out the ointment.

'For burns.' he said with a simple smile.

She sniffed it suspiciously, pulling a face.

'I didn't say it'd smell good.'

She smiled and without further ado lathered it onto her hand.

Merlin fried some mushrooms for breakfast.

'So what now?' she asked as he handed her a bowl.

'What do you mean?'

'Do we go to Camelot? We _are _going to try again aren't we?'

'I think…' he began slowly. 'I think we need to return to the Darkling Woods.'

She looked at him quizzically.

'Well I promised we'd go and visit your father's grave, didn't I?'

'Really? It's still important enough?'

'Of course it's important! So long as you still want to?'

she nodded.

'Then we'll go.'

•••

Morgana found the walk back through the woods upsetting. It was irrational, of course, but they walked the same path they had walked a few days before with Zaira, and it felt like they were going back to the start. It was, however a fairly uneventful journey. They travelled in the early morning, waking each day before the sun rose, then settling down a few feet from the path in the evening. They were drawing closer to Gorlois, but also closer to the border of Camelot, and that made her uneasy. Arthur was no fool. He would have his knights patrol the border regularly, and the woods would be full of them. Every single one of his knights would try to kill her on sight. And the minute they saw her with Merlin, he would become a traitor to the King, and Camelot's most wanted, after herself.

After a few days walk, the trees were replaced with grassy hills. Morgana took the path she used to take alone. Uther didn't know about it, and so she hoped the knights of Camelot wouldn't either. When they reached the bottom of the hill where her father lay, they put down all their bags.

'Do you want me to wait here?' Merlin asked her.

'No.' she replied, after a moment of thought. 'Will you come with me?'

He nodded, and took her hand. Aithusa curled up under the tree, minding their things while they made their way up the hill.

When they reached the top, Morgana's eyes filled with tears. The grave had been vandalised, a large crack running down the mighty stone. In red paint, 'Father of the Traitor' was scrawled across the largest remaining piece, and rotting food scraps were scattered across the pile of rocks under which his body lay. Morgana rested her head on Merlin's shoulder and smiled up at him sadly.

'My poor father.' she said quietly.

'Who would do this?' Merlin asked, shocked.

She didn't reply.

They stood like that for a while. Then Morgana pulled away, and walked toward the grave. As she approached, the rotting fruit disappeared. She touched the fractured headstone, and it reassembled itself. Merlin came up behind her, and reached out to the headstone, which turned to polished marble at his touch.

'Thank you.' she said.

As they turned to leave, she looked back at her father's grave one last time. She knew she wouldn't be coming back, not for a long time, and she didn't want anyone defacing Gorlois's last resting place again. With a flick of her hand, the tombstone was surrounded by a flowerbed of black roses. They looked beautiful, but they were enchanted to insure that anyone intending to deface his grave again would instead meet a very unpleasant ending. Then, taking a deep breath, Morgana left her father, hand in hand with Merlin, returning to her dragon at the bottom of the hill.

Twelve miles away, in a tiny village, a man with hands covered in red paint was boasting to a group of his friends. Two of them carried empty buckets, once filled with rotting food scraps. One minute they were perfectly healthy, the next, they were all dead.

•••

'I have a plan!' Merlin beamed.

It had been almost a week since they left Gorlois's grave. They had travelled back into the woods, and had wandered from place to place, trying to devise some kind of genius plan that would get them both into Camelot.

'We could say you were cleansed in the Cauldron too! And that you've seen the error of your ways and-'

'That's never going to work.'

'Why not?'

'Won't they ask why you found me in the first place? How you knew about the Cauldron? And why you didn't return to Camelot?'

'Well…They might..not?'

she raised an eyebrow.

'We could always tell them the truth?'

'Right. Arthur would definitely accept that. "What's that Merlin? You're the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever known, and you've been travelling around for months with a sworn enemy of Camelot?" Sure, he'd love that.'

'Well, you think of something.' he grumbled.

They wandered through the forest for days, avoiding patrols and thinking of plans then instantly discarding them. It was incredibly frustrating.

One day, they were trudging through the forest, in the pouring rain, when Morgana stopped dead in her tracks.

'I know this place!' she yelled over the roar of the rain.

'Really?' Merlin replied.

'Look!' she called, and ran down a hill.

'Morgana!' he yelled, following her reluctantly. They landed on a staircase, although it could've been just rocks. She was already around the corner.

'Morgana!' The downpour seemed to only get louder.

'Look!' And she opened a door in the rock face.

'It's my hovel.'

He stepped in out of the rain, and looked around. There was a table, a fireplace and a bed. The trees had grown on the inside of her house, and it looked as though she'd tried to decorate with a few candles and dreamcatchers here and there. A chain hung across one of the main beams. he grimaced. He remembered that chain.

'It's just like i left it.' she said, astonished. She turned to him. ' I know it's not much, but at least it's a little bit warm, and dry.'

'I'm not complaining!' Merlin exclaimed, through chattering teeth.

•••

_Sorry this took a while.. Lots of stuff going on at the minute! Hope you enjoy it anyway, and I will try and update it much sooner! x_


	15. Chapter 15

They were much more comfortable in the hovel. At first, Aithusa had wanted to come inside as well. She only just made it through the doorway, and towered over them, her head pressing up against the top of the roof, complaining loudly. Then she got one of the chains hanging from the roof tangled around her neck, and panicked, breathing fire across the room, knocking things from shelves, wailing loudly.

When Merlin and Morgana managed to get her back outside, she shook herself off, like a dog does when it leaves a pool of water, and stared down at them, baring all her teeth in her trademark terrifying grin. They grimaced back at her, their faces covered in soot. Then the dragon screamed and threw herself onto the ground, and as gently as a dragon could, reached out and pinched at a lock of Morgana's hair, which had caught fire and been burning slowly upwards. Morgana smiled weakly up at her dragon.

•••

Morgana was grateful for her hovel. There had been a time when living in a tiny shack in the side of a hill had seriously injured her pride, but after months of sleeping on the ground, shifting around uncomfortably all night, lying on rocks and sticks and Gods only know what else, to have a roof over her head and a bed to sleep in was a luxury. Even if she still shared that bed with Merlin. In fact, that might have been a part of the luxury, though she would never admit to that.

The rain just didn't stop. Days went by, but there was no gap in the weather, even throughout the night. Unfortunately the hovel was in a trench of sorts, so flooding became a bit of a problem. She had woken up that morning to Merlin standing in the doorway with a saucepan in one hand, up to his ankles in water, trying unsuccessfully to empty the rising pool of water.

'Morning' he had shouted cheerfully, over the noise of the rain, as she had peered over the edge of her bed to look at the puddles of water. she had gotten up, pushing her feet through the water, towards him, the bottom of her dress trailing behind her. tiny holes in the roof had been torn open wider, so the water poured from them in streams. There were dozens across the entire floor, and the water around her feet rose a little higher with every passing minute.

'Have you tried fixing those?' she asked him when she reached him.

'We don't have any thatch!' he replied.

she had stared at him, and he stared back. 'What?' he'd asked, confused.

'You have MAGIC Merlin! You don't NEED THATCH TO FIX A LEAKING ROOF!'

'Ah. Right!' he dropped the saucepan and splashed over to the closest hole in the roof, standing directly under it. He opened his mouth to begin an enchantment, but the water had poured into his mouth, and he stumbled backwards, coughing and spluttering.

'For God's sake,' she'd mumbled under her breath, and holding out her hand toward the roof had created an enchantment of her own, fixing all the leaks in one go. The sound of the rain became quieter, and the water inside stopped rising. She'd looked around for him, and found him sitting in the puddle, clutching at the saucepan. She'd offered him her hand, and he took it gratefully, getting to his feet.

'How did you _not _think to use magic to fix the roof?' she demanded.

'I..er, I forgot?'

'You _forgot? _You're bloody Emrys!'

'Oh. Yes. That's me…hello.' he waved feebly.

She couldn't be angry at him. Her face had broken into a smile, and he'd looked pretty relieved.

•••

Weeks went by. Plans were made then dropped immediately. It was incredibly frustrating. Some days Merlin would go and wander around the forest, trying to find inspiration. As each day passed he grew more and more on edge, thinking of Mordred standing at Arthur's side, fully capable of ending his life at any time. He often saw Camelot patrols, which gave him a tiny bit of relief. The patrols were always on time, and never more frequent than usual, so he had to settle for that as his confirmation that no attempt had been made on Arthur's life.

One day, when the rain had finally eased, he sat ten feet high in a tree. Morgana had come with him, and wandered further on, but he had opted to stay behind. He leaned back into a nook of the tree. He wondered if he'd always be able to climb trees. As Dragoon he could hardly climb onto the back of a horse, his entire body had ached so much with tiredness. He had always been amazed that no one had recognised him as an old man.

Then the plan hit him.

Merlin almost fell out of his tree. He stumbled down and ran wonkily in one direction, the stopped and ran properly in the opposite.

'Gana! Morgana!' he called, then stopped, squinting up at the sun. The Camelot Patrol would be coming through any minute. He swore under his breath, and climbed up into another tree, waiting.

The Patrol passed under his tree, and on, in the direction Morgana had gone. A few minutes later, he heard a high pitched scream, followed by a man's voice, yelling, that stopped suddenly.

Merlin dropped from the tree and sprinted towards the noise, to find Morgana standing over one of the knights looking worried.

'What happened?' He asked, his hands on the back of his head.

'They tried to stab me!' she yelled, pointing to the hilt of a knife, sticking out of her left shoulder.

All ten of the patrol knights were sprawled across the ground, all unconscious.

'I don't think they're dead.' she said hopefully, gripping her shoulder, as Merlin rushed over to help her.

'They look like they'll be find.' he assured her. 'Let's go before they wake up.'

She nodded, and they headed back toward the hovel. Through a haze of concern, Merlin was surprised at her mobility, considering she had just been stabbed, above her heart.

When they reached the hovel, she gritted her teeth as he pulled the knife out of her shoulder. He pretended not to notice the whimpering noise she made, or the tears that sprung to her eyes, and instead lifted back the material of her dress to look at the wound, but found it had already began to heal. He stared at it, dumbfounded. The wound looked as though it were at least 6 months old. Scar tissue had already formed and apart from a purpley grey bruise, there was nothing to suggest that Merlin had just pulled a knife out of Morgana's shoulder less than a minute ago. As he watched, the bruise faded down, then disappeared all together.

He noticed she was watching him, and he stuttered 'Y-you're fine?'

'You fixed it then!' she said, and his heart pounded in his chest as she leant forward and kissed him lightly on the lips.

'I'm going to take a nap now.' she said, and went and curled up on the bed.

He sat in his chair at the table, bewildered, in more ways than one. What had happened to Morgana's wound was impossible, and he knew that she was avoiding questioning about it (not that he didn't appreciate her methods). He would get some answers out of her when she woke up. And he had to tell her about his plan. He quietly made his way outside, and sat on the doorstep.

Inside Morgana breathed a sigh of relief, mixed with a sob of exhaustion.

•••

_Sorry it's a bit late again, but hopefully this chapter's worth the wait! Tell me what you think! x_


	16. Chapter 16

'Is this really going to work?' she asked him.

'I'm positive it will.' he assured her.

'And, people will suspect even less, because the knights saw you in the woods today, then stabbed you, it's pretty unlikely you'll appear in Camelot, _two days later.' _he added.

She sighed. They were sitting on the doorstep of the hovel, watching Aithusa circle in the sky high above. There was a bite in the air. Winter was definitely coming, and winter in Camelot _did _seem more appealing than winter in the hovel. She rolled her shoulders. Her left was incredibly stiff.

'What about Aithusa?' she demanded.

'Well, Kilgharrah could look after her.'

'She'll miss me! And I'll miss her!'

'It'd just be for a while Morgana.'

She frowned. She knew he was right, and if she was going to go with him she couldn't take Aithusa. Especially seeing as her dear brother shared his father's hatred of magic, and magical things, including dragons. The further away Aithusa was from Camelot, the safer she would be. Morgana was already wary of her being this close. Though they were safe in the forest, she knew only too well you could see out for miles into the sky from Camelot castle.

'Fine. I'll try.' she said, standing abruptly, and leaving Merlin on the doorstep to return to her hovel.

Morgause had been big on plan making and though she had had many brilliant plans of throughout her life, they always made Morgana feel sick, not that she'd admit that to anyone. Also, plans that involved Camelot always seemed to fail. Morgana had had a sense in the back of her mind that Camelot was protected. It hadn't stopped her trying to attack, but it had always made her worried. Maybe that had been Merlin. She didn't much like the thought of being caught, although it would give her a good excuse to kill some of Arthur's stupid knights.

She sighed. She knew had nothing left to lose.

•••

"I look ridiculous." Morgana hid behind a tree, staring up at Camelot castle. She sounded nervous.

'You'll be fine.' Merlin replied, shoving a blanket into his bag, and running his hands through his hair, messing it up.

'Are you sure this is going to work?'

'No. But it's the best plan we have, right?'

She nodded at him.

'Well then. Time to go.'

He took her hand, and led her towards the main path into the citadel.

As they walked people turned to look at them. Merlin was relieved to see they mainly ignored Morgana. A few people clapped him on the shoulder. Some called out to him. Others just stared. Eventually they made their way to the castle, across the courtyard.

When they reached the staircase that led to the Physicians Chambers, the guard on duty stopped him.

'Merlin?' he asked, surprised.

'That's me!' he replied cheerfully.

'Where have you been all this time? And who's this?'

'It's a bit of a long story. I had been hoping I might see Gaius?'

'Of course, of course. You know the way.'

The guard stood aside, and let Merlin and Morgana through.

He heard her breathe a sigh of relief.

'I told you so.' He said to her quietly.

The old woman behind him pulled a face.

'That's just one stupid guard. I'm not convinced it'll fool Arthur.'

'I dunno, he is the son of a man who willingly married a troll.'

Morgana laughed, then stopped, coughing and clutching at her side.

'I don't ever want to be this old.' She murmured.

'Almost there.' He encouraged her.

By the time they made it up the staircase, Morgana was completely out of breath. The disguise they had chosen for her seemed foolproof, so long as she didn't have to make a quick get-away.

Merlin knocked on the door, his heart in his mouth. He beamed as it opened, to reveal the elderly physician.

'Merlin!'

'Gaius!'

They embraced as a father and son would.

'Who's your friend?' he asked, after he let Merlin go, ushering the pair of them to the table.

'Well…' he began, as Morgana sat down next to him.

'You're not going to like it.'

Gaius paused, halfway through preparing drinks for the three.

'You've got that look again.'

'What look?' Merlin replied, smiling innocently.

'You always get that look.' He muttered, sitting down heavily, opposite the two.

'All right. Why am I not going to like it?'

'Well. This person you see appears to be quite old, doesn't she?'

'She seems to be about _my_ age Merlin.' He replied.

'Yes…so quite old.'

'Is that so Merlin?'

'Um…well she looks quite a bit older than she really is, is what I'm trying to say.'

Gaius paused. 'An aging spell?'

'Exactly.'

'And if this enchantment were to be lifted, I assume I would recognise the person underneath?'

'It's…um, it's the- she's- er '

'I'm Morgana.' She interrupted him.

Gaius stared at the two of them, steadily, in silence for almost a minute before he spoke.

'Merlin are you telling me you have willingly brought Morgana Pendragon not just inside Camelot's borders, but into it's heart – this castle – disguised as an old woman?'

'I figured you wouldn't be thrilled, but-'

'Not forgetting that she did on numerous occasions, attempt to kill both Uther and Arthur, and take their place on the throne?'

'Well, you see-'

'And now you've brought her into my house? Are you out of your MIND boy?'

'About that-'

'Merlin. I am an old man. My heart cannot take this much excitement.'

'I know how you feel.' Morgana interrupted.

Gaius folded his arms.

'I've changed.'

He scoffed.

'I really have Gaius. I can never forgive Uther for how he treated me, and my kind, and Arthur shares his blood. But so do I. And I will put aside my differences on behalf of my people, if it will mean I can live freely with magic. Arthur is destined to return magic to Camelot. Killing him now would be an error of my judgement. I'm here to make sure he stays alive long enough to see the day he returns magic to Camelot.'

'It's really her. I'll give you that. Has she enchanted you?' He demanded of Merlin.

'No. I'm positive she hasn't.'

'Well, I'll be the judge of that.' He stood up and hobbled over to a shelf, filled with bottles, and jars.

'Drink this.' He said, slamming a small bottle onto the table in front of Merlin.

'This way, if you _have _been enchanted, we will know.'

'How? What'll happen?'

'You'll probably die.'

Merlin chuckled, then stopped looking at Gaius's face, which was completely void of emotion.

'Anything you want to tell me?' He asked Morgana nervously.

She shook her head.

'All right then. Down the hatch, I guess.' He shrugged, tipping back the murky liquid in one, as previous experience with Gaius's potions suggested this was the best way to go about it.

'Urgh! What the hell was in _that? _It tastes like _frog _and rat_.' _He spluttered.

'How do you know what frog and rat tastes like?' Morgana inquired.

'Don't ask.' He ran his tongue along his sleeve, trying to get rid of the taste. 'Did I pass?'

Gaius nodded, smiling broadly.

'I wouldn't have really died if I hadn't passed, would I?'

'Oh no my dear boy, no. In fact, if you_ had _been under an enchantment, the potion would have tasted quite pleasant. Minty, almost.'

Merlin scowled, sitting back down. 'I wish you _had _enchanted me.' He muttered.

•••

Life back in Camelot was strange. Merlin was called in to a council meeting as soon as Arthur heard news of his return, and he was welcomed back with open arms. He was concerned at Mordred's absence from the chambers, but decided not to comment. When they asked where he had been, he told them he had had to rush off to care for his elderly grandmother, Hilda, who he had brought back with him to Camelot. Morgana smiled meekly up at Arthur.

The king made a joke about how she could still do better than Merlin, and she had smiled again, but couldn't resist reaching up and pinching his cheeks as an old lady might.

He had looked shocked, but Merlin had quickly returned and put his arm around her waist, excusing her idling mind.

'What was that?' Merlin asked later.

'He's still an arrogant prat. I couldn't help embarrassing him a little.'

'You're meant to get on his good side Gana.'

'I know I know. It won't happen again.' She said patronisingly, patting him on the cheek.

•••

Mainly Morgana had to stay in her room. But when she was, she could relax and reverse the aging spell. Gaius avoided being left alone with her at all, especially when she wasn't disguised as Hilda, so she had no company. She had to try to stay away from the entry, confining her even more, so that she could only be in Merlin's room. There were days when she was bored to tears, literally. She had nothing to do, other than stare at the roof, or wander around the almost-bare room. It was very claustrophobic, after years of being outside in the woods, coming and going as she pleased, to be cramped up inside a servants quarters in Camelot, knowing if anyone found her she'd be killed on sight. Eventually, Merlin must've realised how bored she was, and began bringing her back books to read. That made the days more bearable. But her favourite part of the day was when Merlin arrived home. She'd peek through a crack in the door, then run and give him a hug. Then they'd sit on his bed, and he'd tell her about his day.

Morgana could tell Mordred's absence was worrying Merlin. He hadn't seen him since their return to Camelot. Gaius had told him that Mordred had ridden out with a group of knights to Camelot's western border the day before they arrived. That was nearly two weeks ago; it was not unusual that they would take this long in returning.

'They'll be back soon.' Morgana assured him, once again.

Merlin sighed, nodding.

'How's Arthur?' she asked, mainly to take his mind off of worrying.

'Arthur's a prat.'

She raised her eyebrows.

'But it is good to see him again.' He admitted.

She laughed, as the front door opened.

They fell quiet immediately, moving silently to the peek-hole in the door. Merlin got there first. In less than a second he had turned away from the door, shaking his head, eyes wide. Morgana fumbled around in her folds of her dress for the tiny glass bottle, knocking back the liquid in one go as a voice grew nearer. When the door swung open, they were ready, just, Morgana leaning on Merlin heavily, shuffling forward slowly, with the face of an ancient old woman.

'Merlin!'

'Gwaine!'

Merlin immediately let go of Morgana to return Gwaine's hug, and manly slap-on-the-back.

'My buddy! Where've you been all my life?' Gwaine said jokingly, and Merlin chuckled.

Morgana had to stop herself rolling her eyes.

'Ah, my man, how've you been? You good? Bah, look at me, being rude. Pardon me. Who's your friend?'

'This is Hilda, my um, grandmother.'

Morgana smiled sweetly.

'Lovely to meet ya.' He turned back to Merlin. 'Why don't you come and have a drink at the tavern with me and the lads tonight? Catch up on stuff.'

'Oh. Um, well…' Merlin looked over at Morgana.

She sighed inwardly, but smiled up at him.

'You go and have a wonderful time.' She said. 'Don't let him get too drunk now Gwaine, or he'll fall over his own feet and knock himself out, and you'll have to carry him home.'

'Great! I'll get Percy and Mordred and anyone else who wants to come, and we'll meet you there in about an hour.'

Merlin walked him over to the door, and closing it behind Gwaine, turned to stare at Morgana.

'Mordred.' He said quietly.

She nodded. 'Just, take care. He can't do anything, not in the tavern. It might be good. Show him that you're on to him, and you'll be watching everything he does. And for God's sake don't get drunk Merlin.'

•••

_Sorry about the lateness. Again. I am honestly trying to speed up my writing, had a bit of writers block though! Please tell me what you think, I really hope you like it. What do you think should happen? I love reading reviews, and I will try to update soon._


	17. Chapter 17

He could sense Mordred's presence. And Mordred could sense his. As Merlin greeted the knights he could feel Mordred's cold staring eyes on him. There was an awkward moment, when Gwaine introduced them, where for a split second neither moved to shake the other's hand, or acknowledge the other. In that moment, Gwaine's smile began to fade and the other knights could sense the tension, almost tangible in the air. Then the moment was gone, and the two greeted with a handshake, never breaking eye contact. But it left Elyan especially on edge, with a nagging suspicion that the two had met before. He confronted Merlin about it later in the night, pulling him aside into a corner.

'Did you already know Mordred?'

'What? No! Why?'

'Just… Earlier on, I could've sworn you looked like you two knew each other. _Well. _I just wondered.'

'Hmm, nope.' Merlin replied, casually.

'And there is something a bit _odd _about Mordred.' Elyan continued, voice low.

'What's that?'

'Well he just, _turned up_ out of nowhere really. Arthur acted as though he'd met him before, y'know? He trusted him, immediately. He never trusted me and the guys that quickly, even though I'm Gwen's brother, he was still suspicious- which I expected, of course, with him being the King and all that- but… I dunno. It was different with Mordred.'

Merlin nodded, watching Mordred laughing with Percival. The laughter never reached his eyes.

'Aw, it's probably nothing. Just making stuff up in my head. Had too much to drink.' Elyan said, his voice back to it's normal volume, smiling.

'Yeah, probably nothing.' Merlin agreed, smiling, but he could feel Mordred's gaze on him again.

'I better get going.' He announced after three rounds of ale and a game of dice. 'No, I really do.' he added as they began to protest. 'I've got to check up on Mor-Hilda, Hilda, my grandmother, and it's getting late.'

'I'll walk you out.' Mordred said from the corner, catching Merlin unawares.

'Oh. Um, you don't have to I can-'

'No, really, I insist.' Mordred argued.

Merlin paused, quickly running a hand through his hair. 'OK.' He shrugged, smiling.

They walked together, shoulder to shoulder until they were far enough away from the tavern that the loud, drunken voices faded into background noise.

'What the hell are you doing here?' Merlin asked quietly.

'What am _I _doing here?' Mordred replied.

'You're a druid. Uther's laws still stand, Arthur will execute anyone found practising magic anywhere in Camelot let alone inside the castle, you're insane coming back here-'

'_I'm _insane? I'm not the one who willingly brought Morgana Pendragon back inside Camelot, am I? Maybe I should tell Arthur that? Or that his faithful manservant is actually a sorcerer, who has been practising magic for years, under his nose, who has performed magic on the royal family, and caused the King, Uther Pendragon to die?'

Merlin stared at him. 'How do you know all that?'

'Didn't you hear? I was cleansed in the Cauldron of Alyandrod; I was _blessed, _in the presence of Arthur Pendragon! He saw with his own eyes, a terrible burden, my magical powers taken from me. That proved to him my loyalty truly knows no bounds. And then there's you. You who abandoned him, for months, going on an unexplained journey to assist your "elderly grandmother". Where is she from exactly? If we were to return to the village you _say _she comes from, would anyone remember her? Would they remember you?'

Merlin didn't reply. Mordred looked livid, his face was turning red and he was clenching and un-clenching his fist, over and over again. He was more than likely scared, not that he'd show it.

'So who is Arthur going to believe? You? Or me? He doesn't trust you anymore. You can see it in his eyes he doesn't trust you. So watch your back.'

Mordred spat at the ground, and turned back towards the tavern, walking away from Merlin, without looking back.

•••

'What the _hell_ Merlin?' she yelled, hitting him over the head with the pillow. He cowered behind his arms, grimacing. Gaius was asleep in the room down the stairs, and he feebly put his finger to his lips, trying to shh her before he woke up.

'I didn't have a choice really.'

'Yes. You. DID.' She snarled, hitting him again with the pillow. 'You could've just said no!'

'It would've looked strange!' he exclaimed.

She snorted and threw the pillow down on the bed next to him. 'I had no choice, the knights would've gotten suspicious if I had refused.'

'At least you're not bloody drunk.' A corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile. It was always funny to hear Morgana swear.

'This isn't funny Merlin! It's serious!'

'I know I know.' He said quickly.

She narrowed her eyes.

'You better not have told him anything useful?'

'Definitely not!

'Did _he _say anything useful?'

'Well, Arthur still thinks he's blessed by the sound of it.'

'Arthur's an idiot.'

And…He…Well, one thing he does know is that... you're Morgana.'

'WHAT? How does he know that?'

'I don't know, I didn't tell him anything.' Merlin shook his head.

She held her head in her hands.

'This is bad. He can expose us whenever he feels like it. He can hold it above our heads to make us do what he wants. How did he gain the upper hand?'

He shook his head again.

She froze. 'Would Gaius have told him?'

'What? NO! No, absolutely not, he wouldn't do something like that, I know Gaius.' He said firmly.

She grimaced. 'You've been away for a long time, and he doesn't like me. I wouldn't put it past him to think turning us in would be for the greater good.'

'No. I know him, he wouldn't do that to me, I know he wouldn't.'

They were silent for a minute.

'We have to do something soon.'

'Like what?' he stared at her.

'Like…Like…We could…We need to get Mordred out of the way, without him or Arthur suspecting anything. We need a plan that Mordred can't find out about.'

'But he's finding out anyway, somehow.'

'Just don't tell him anything, don't look at him, don't talk to him, and don't tell Gaius.'

'Morgana-'

'Morgana what? We can't trust him not to tell Mordred.'

'I trust him.'

'Just promise me.'

'I promise.' He said gloomily.

'It's just in case, alright?'

He nodded.

•••

The next few days around the castle Merlin was on edge. Everything had happened so quickly, it felt like he had only just got back to Camelot and already he was surrounded by danger. Danger of being caught, danger of Morgana being caught, danger of Mordred turning him in, danger of-

'MERLIN.'

Arthur's voice bounced off the walls of the corridor.

'Where have you been?' The king demanded as his reinstated manservant poked his head around the door.

'I was preparing your breakfast?' he said questioningly.

'Well, I have been waiting here for almost ten minutes for you to get your lazy backside up here and do your job. It's breakfast time.'

'Ah. Yes.' Merlin stepped carefully around the door, carrying a plate of fruit. As he got a proper look at the room, the tray dropped to the floor.

'What happened?' he yelled, hands on his head.

'Oh, yeah, I threw a few things around while I was waiting. Thought it might've gotten your attention, apparently not, can I have my breakfast here, NOW?'

Merlin picked up the fruit off the floor and threw it back onto the plate.

'You expect me to eat food off the floor?' Arthur said disdainfully, raising an eyebrow at the dirt covered strawberry on his plate.

'Just...' Merlin picked up the strawberry and brushed the dirt off with his sleeve. 'There! Good as new.'

'Merllliiin, it's still dirty.' The king complained.

'Oh just eat it. Everyone else would.'

The king tutted. 'Loosing your cool, isn't cool.' He muttered taking a bite of an apple.

'URGH it's hideous! Tastes like dirt!' he said teasingly.

'Well, I'll eat it then.' Merlin tried to grab the apple from Arthur's hand. They were still squabbling when Gwen entered. Neither of the two men noticed her, until she cleared her throat. Then they split apart instantly, and with an un-manly squeal the King sat up straight in bed, eating his apple without complaint.

'How are you today my love?' he asked her, voice back to normal, as she leant over and gave him a peck on the cheek.

'I'm very well thank you.' She replied, smirking at him.

Merlin smiled at the couple, dreamily as they chattered happily to each other. They were so sweet now they could be a happy couple without the threat of death hanging above their heads. Or Gwen's head.

He realised their conversation had died down and they were both looking at him. He jumped, snapping out of his thoughts. Gwen was sitting very close to Arthur, and she had her arm around his neck. They were both watching him.

'Could you give us some time alone now Merlin?' Gwen asked, batting her eyelids. He frowned, then blushed a deep crimson colour and stumbled backwards when he realised what Gwen meant by 'alone time'.

'Urgh! I mean. Of course! Milady. Dollophead. I'll be back. Later.' He called over his shoulder as he rushed to leave the room.

'Close the door behind you.' Arthur called as Merlin broke into a run.

Leaning against the closed side of the door Merlin shivered and pulled a face.

•••

After he'd washed all the clothes and mucked out the stable, he returned to the physicians quarters, covered in dirt and straw.

After a moment, Morgana comes down the stairs to greet him. Her hair's well brushed again, and she's wearing a tight black dress.

'You look great!' he exclaimed happily.

'You smell terrible.' She replied, looking him up and down.

'But the stables look much cleaner now.' He sat down, and wiped his face with his neckerchief.

'How's Arthur?' She asked.

'Oh, right now I imagine he's a _very_ happy man.'

'Why?'

'Don't ask. It's gross. Do we have any food?'

She got up and fetched a bowl of watery soup for him.

He smiled at her gratefully.

'How's your day been so far?' he asked.

'Pretty dull.' She answered, playing with Zaira's necklace.

'You brushed your hair?'

'I did.'

'And you found a new dress.'

'I did.'

'Where did you get it?'

She said nothing.

'Morgana?'

'She's not going to miss it.'

'Whose dress did you take?'

'I'm surprised it fitted me at all, she's gotten really fat since-'

'Since what?'

'Since she became the queen of Camelot.' She mumbled.

'What?'

'Since she became the queen of Camelot.'

'You didn't.'

'I did.'

'Please tell me you didn't steal a dress from Gwen.'

'She's not going to miss it!' she insisted again. '_AND _it looks good on me.'

He had to admit it did.

'You like it.' She smirked.

Merlin put his head down and ate his soup.

She laughed triumphantly.

'So…' she said after a moment. 'Have you seen Mordred today?'

'No, he doesn't seem to be anywhere.'

He had been looking all day. He'd been all over the castle, and into the courtyard and stables, but he couldn't find Mordred anywhere. He certainly didn't want to talk to him, but he needed to keep an eye on him, to protect Morgana and Arthur.

'Is he out on patrol?'

'Must be. I don't know where else he'd be.'

'Well watch out for him when you find him. Try to avoid talking to him again, especially in front of other people.'

'Don't worry I-' His sentence was cut off as the door was thrown open and Arthur barged in.

'Merlin have you seen my-

The King froze, stopped mid sentence, mouth hanging open, staring at Morgana.

•••

_Sorry for another long wait. Hope you like this chapter, I had some serious writers block but i think it's turned out alright. Any ideas about what's going to happen? I love reading reviews, so feel free to tell me what you thought! (Also, have you seen Colin and Katie's latest photoshoot? It's really sweet, google it)._


	18. Chapter 18

Morgana came to her senses first. She threw her hand out, and slammed the door closed, locking it.

'Y-y-you?' Arthur stuttered, backing away.

'She's different now Arthur, honestly she is.' Merlin pleaded.

'N-no. You don't talk to me.'

'Arthur-'

'You're a traitor.'

'She's here to help you.'

He laughed, trying the doorhandle without taking his eyes off the room.

'How could you do this? Why? I trusted you, and Gwen and Mordred, and that's it.'

'You can't trust Mordred.'

He laughed. 'You're one to talk Merlin. I can't trust anything you say ever again.'

'Yes, yes you can Arthur, she's still your sister, surely-'

'She tried to kill me!' He slammed the door with his shoulder. 'She wants the throne, that's all she wants, magic has corrupted her she's no sister of mine.'

Morgana hadn't said anything up until this point.

'I _am_ still your sister. I'm still the same person I was before.'

'No. No you are not.' He insisted, jostling the door again.

'Remember when I broke my wrist? We were still little, I'd only been in Camelot for a couple of years, and we were running down the stairs.'

Arthur stopped attacking the door for a moment.

'I tripped and fell all the way to the bottom, remember?'

He frowned.

'And when you caught up to me, you were to only one who cried, because you were worried you'd hurt me, even though it was my wrist that was bent the wrong way. I'm the same person as I was then, just a bit older. And so are you. Please believe that I'm here to do the right thing.'

Arthur stared at her. A minute stretched by. Then the King opened his mouth. 'HELP!' he yelled, kicking at the door. 'HELP ME!'

Morgana swore, picked up a chair and hit him with it. It broke over his head and he spiralled down onto the ground, unconscious.

Morgana swore again and Merlin stared at Arthur, lying on his stomach on the floor.

'Is he alright?' she asked weakly.

'He's got a lump on his head. But that's it. He's still breathing. I think he's going to be all right. I don't know about us though.'

She moaned quietly, holding her head in her hands.

'We could run. We could just kill Mordred- now, then run.'

'It's too risky, we have to have a plan, otherwise Mordred will defeat us.'

'Or we could make him not remember!' she exclaimed. 'With a spell, we could make sure he doesn't remember anything from the last day?'

'That could work.' He agreed. 'That could definitely work.'

'I think it's our best option.'

'Well, we have to try then.'

•••

Arthur Pendragon woke up on the floor, with a massive headache. As his vision refocused Merlin's grinning face swam into view.

'And he's awake!'

Arthur sat up, pushing him away, looking around him. Hilda sat on a chair facing him, staring at him.

'What the _hell _happened?' he groaned, rubbing his head.

'You tripped over your own feet coming in to complain at me!' Merlin grinned.

'I did not.' He replied grumpily.

'You did.'

'_I _do not trip over my own feet, Merlin. I let you do that. It's all your good at.'

'I see your pompous attitude has emerged unscathed.'

'Big words Merlin- stick to the one syllable words, anything more sounds stupid coming out of your mouth- help me up.'

Merlin offered him his hand, and the king slapped him gratefully on the shoulder.

'Now _you _should be…doing something! I don't know what. You cannot expect me to pay you for sitting around doing nothing all day.'

Merlin grumbled something, and picked up his coat, and plodded out of the room, leaving Arthur alone with Hilda. There was something about the old lady that gave him the creeps. She stared at him, unsmiling, until he awkwardly excused himself.

The King walked through the corridors of his castle. Servants parted to make way for him as he walked.

'Gwaine?'

The knight turned around, surprised.

'Hey Arthur! what can I do for _his_ _royal highness_?' He said jokingly.

'What are you doing here?'

'What do you mean?'

'I didn't think your patrol got back until Tuesday?'

'It…is Tuesday sire?'

'_No _Gwaine, it's only Monday. You didn't really come back a day early because you got your days confused did you? There's only seven of them, it's really quite simple.' he said patronisingly.

'It's definitely Tuesday. We came to see you in council earlier this morning sire, you said it was good to see us back…what… with it being Tuesday.' Gwaine said cautiously.

Arthur froze.

'That's…right. I'd forgotten.' He said, rubbing the back of his head.

'It's really quite simple, I mean, there's only seven days you have to keep track of.' Gwaine said, smirking.

'Very funny.'

'Hey. Happens to the best of us.' He grinned, shaking his hand and clapping him on the shoulder, before walking in the opposite direction.

Arthur shook his head slightly. Of course it was Tuesday. But somehow he'd forgotten. He continued his stroll through the castle, unhappy at his own forgetfulness.

He entered the council chambers, ordering everyone to leave the room, and sat in his throne, trying to remember what had happened so far that day. He couldn't remember waking up. He couldn't remember dressing, or going out to training. He _could _remember greeting the knights that had returned from the patrol. That was the only memory he had from the whole day so far. But it was past midday. It was not possible for it to be so late in the day and yet to have so little to remember.

'Hello.'

He turned, startled, to see Gwen smiling at him.

'Ah, hello indeed.'

She smirked.

'Why are you doing that?'

'What?'

'That face. You always do that face after we…oh.'

'What?'

'Did we, um?' He gasped. 'We did.'

The smile slipped from her face. 'What you don't remember?'

'No, I don't.'

'That was _this morning _Arthur!'

'I know I know!'

'I thought it was quite memorable actually.'

'My love, I have no doubt it was! But I cannot remember anything that has happened so far this day.'

'What, nothing?'

'No. The only thing I remember is addressing the returned knights this morning, and that is because Gwaine reminded me that I did.'

'Well I just reminded you of something.'

'Ohh, the memory is _definitely _coming back to me.'

A smile flickered at the corner of her mouth, before her expression returned to one of concern.

'Do you think…are you ill?'

'I don't feel sick. Apart from my headache.' He pointed to the back of his head.

She stood on tip toe to inspect the back of his head.

'There's a massive lump here! You've been hit with something!'

'What? That cannot be, I would remember.'

'Well, not if they hit you hard enough. Where did you wake up?'

'On the floor. In the physician's chambers.'

'Was anyone there with you?'

'Yes, Merlin. And Hilda. But they said I tripped over… something.'

'What?'

'My own feet. But of course that must have been a lie. I do not trip over my own feet. I am the king.'

'Well, we must ask them about this immediately.'

'Wait.' He held out a hand, brain working furiously, trying to recall the foggy memory.

'What is it?'

'I remember something…I was in the Physician's Chambers. And there was someone there.'

'Who was it?'

Arthur was silent.

'Arthur? Who was there?'

'It was her.'

'_Who?'_

'Morgana.'

•••

Merlin slipped back into the Physician's chambers after Arthur left.

'Hey.'

'That was close.'

'Very.' He agreed. 'Will the enchantment work?'

'I can't be sure.'

'Well. I suppose we'll find out soon enough.'

'You should get back to work. Don't do anything that could raise suspicion.'

He nodded, giving her a quick hug before leaving her alone again.

•••

No more than half an hour later, Merlin was picking herbs in the forests near the castle, when Gaius came rushing towards him.

'Merlin! Merlin my boy.'

'Gaius? Are you alright? What's wrong?'

'Not fifteen minutes ago, the guards arrested Morgana from the chambers. She's in the prison now, and is to be hung at dawn.' He wheezed, clutching at his side.

'No.' He stared at Gaius. 'No we have to help her.'

'That is not all. They are searching for you too. Arthur knows you were helping her. You must save yourself.'

'I can't just leave her here.'

'Please. Please run, nothing good can come from trying to rescue her.'

'Gaius, I cannot do that.'

'Why?'

'I…I think I love her.'

•••

_So, kind of short chapter, hopefully not too short? I didn't wanna leave you on a cliff hanger for too long but I _think_ I might be leaving you on another one. Tell me what you think of this chapter, and the story so far! Thank you all so much for the reviews/favourites/follows so far, you're amazing! Will update soon._


	19. Chapter 19

•••

Merlin had hated the dungeons since his first few days in Camelot. They always stank and today was no exception. He pulled his neckerchief over his nose and tried to breathe through his mouth as he crept around, scanning the cells for Morgana. A rat the size of his foot scuttled past him, as he walked through a dripping pipe, shuddering as the liquid trickled down the back of his shirt. He knew it whatever it was, wasn't water. A noise from the corridor echoed down the hallway, and he glanced behind him, realising he was going to have to move a lot quicker. He had put the prison guards to sleep, but he realised that the spell would wear off much sooner than he'd anticipated. He walked hastily down the aisle of cells, standing on tiptoe to peer into each barred window. They held a wide range of people. Everyone from murderers to servants caught stealing food from the royal kitchens. He wondered for a moment what would happen to all those people, before shaking his head. He needed to concentrate on his job. Finally at the very end he saw Morgana, sitting on the single bench provided, chains wrapped around her chest, waist, legs and arms, binding her to the wall. He was glad to see she didn't look scared. In fact, if anything she looked a bit annoyed.

He quickly opened the lock with magic, as yells from the corridor rang off the walls and running footsteps approached, he entered the cell and shut the door behind him, locking it.

He pressed his back against the wall next to the door, as the footsteps grew nearer. Morgana's eyes widened slightly when the door swung open, hitting him in the stomach as a guard scanned the room.

'What?' he heard her ask harshly.

'Never you mind.' The guard barked.

She spat at his feet. 'Go away.'

'Filthy cow!' He yelled at her.

There was a silence as the guard scanned the room again.

'Go away!' she shouted at him again.

'Fine.' He said, backing out of the room. Merlin could've sworn he heard the man sigh in relief just before the door slammed shut. He couldn't blame him. He wouldn't have wanted to have to try to control this particular angry socereress either.

Once his footsteps receded, Morgana sprung up from where she sat.

'What are you doing here?' she hissed.

'Rescuing you.'

She shot him a glare.

'Um. Surprise?'

'Merlin! Mordred knew you'd come here. He knew you wouldn't leave me here. Don't you see, this is perfect for him?'

Merlin stared at her. He knew she was absolutely right. He'd walked right into Mordred's trap. If he was honest, he'd already known, but he hadn't cared enough to risk Morgana being hung. Or burnt. Or hung then burnt. Whatever Arthur had in mind for his estranged step sister, he knew it wouldn't be good.

'We've got to go now then.' He said, turning his attention to the chains that bound Morgana to the wall of the dungeon. 'Right now.'

'Too late.'

He turned around, as the air around the door rippled, revealing Mordred, standing in their way.

Mordred waved his hand and the chains that bound Morgana fell to the floor.

Merlin noticed something glint in the light, under his cape.

'How stupid do you think I am?' he said, pointing to the knife.

Mordred laughed, revealing the dagger fully. 'Pretty stupid. You just walked straight into a trap. Honestly, I thought you'd have seen it coming. A _child_ could've seen it coming, but you still walked right into it. I didn't even have to set anything up. You idiots just fell over your own feet. It's almost disappointing.'

'We helped you, all those years ago.' Morgana said.

Mordred's eyes flashed, dangerously. '_Yes_. And now you're tryng to defeat me.'

'That's because what you're trying to do is wrong.'

'That's a matter of opinion.'

Suddenly, Merlin flung his arm out, eyes glowing yellow. Nothing happened.

Mordred and Morgana stared at him.

'What?' he said defensively.

'Are you serious?' Mordred scoffed. 'Actually serious? You think that was going to work on me? I didn't feel a thing.'

'It was meant to work.' Merlin muttered.

'What were you trying to do? This?'

Mordred waved his hand lazily, and Merlin and Morgana were propelled through the air, slamming against the stone wall at the back of the cell.

His vision blurred, and his ears rang. Mordred's voice swam through the air, sounding as though it were underwater.

'You just can't admit it. I'm going to beat you. You've grown weak over the years since we first met, and I've grown strong. Goodbye Emrys.' Merlin felt a sharp pain below his left shoulder, and saw the glint of the blade in the light. Then Mordred's face faded away into blackness, and everything went dark.

•••

'OW.'

'Good. You're up. Now stop whinging.' Morgana twisted the blade very slightly, and Merlin let out another loud complaint as his vision focused, and her face swam into view. She looked worried.

'Alright! Alright. How am I going to do this?' Her hands shook slightly as she rubbed her forehead.

'What happened?' Merlin said, gasping as he looked down at the knife protruding from his chest.

'Well,' she said, gripping the handle. 'You got –stabbed!' She pulled the blade out of his chest and Merlin swore loudly.

'Shh. Stop fussing, you're fine.' She said, fashioning a makeshift scabbard out of her belt.

He peered down at his chest in astonishment. The wound hadn't bled, and although it still hurt, the pain wasn't nearly as intense as a knife wound to the chest should have been. It was wrong.

'What did you do to me?' he gaped.

'Look, it's nothing, we've got to get going.' She insisted.

'No. No you have to tell me, I just got stabbed, _in the chest _and I'm alive. And healed!' he poked himself in the chest, then grimaced. 'Almost.'

'It's just a spell.'

He raised an eyebrow.

'Fine, it's not a simple one, but it's a spell all the same. I can undo it later if it bothers you, and you can bleed to death.' She lied. 'But right now, Mordred thinks he's dealt with us. He thinks he has a clear path to Arthur. It's a perfect opportunity for him to strike, don't you agree?'

He nodded. 'We need to stop him before he kills Arthur. But don't think you're getting out of talking about this later.' He stared down his shirt again at the healed over wound.

'Fine.'

Without further ado, she threw open the door of the cell, and sauntered down the corridor of cells, throwing the startled prison guards into a cell with a flick of her hand, and locking the door behind them. When she reached the end, she turned around to look at Merlin, a smirk on her face. He sighed, shaking his head but smiling dispite himself. She had always loved a good corridor. He hurried past the guards who were rattling the iron bars of their new, shared cell and followed her up the spiral staircase. He had to stop Mordred.

•••

They stopped outside the throne room. She peered through the gap, trying to see. Pressing her ear against the heavy wooden door, Morgana could hear voices echoing off the walls.

'I don't understand, what exactly, are you trying to say to me?' That was Arthur's voice. To someone who didn't know him, Arthur would've sounded calm, but Morgana knew him too well for that, even though she had been away for years. There was an alertness that wasn't often present. The king was worried.

'I'm saying, _you_ are going to abdicate the throne. Camelot will be ruled by me, and me alone. You and your servant wife will be banished from this land, never to return. Trust me, _my lord, _this is a kindness. You will much prefer it to the alternative.'

'You speak treason Mordred.'

'I will rule Camelot better than you ever have, or will.'

'You have no right to the throne!' Arthur yelled. Morgana winced at the painful memory that arose with his words._'No she does not. But _I_ do. I am your _daughter_ after all.' _Arthur more like his father than he knew.

'And I do not care!' Mordred yelled. 'If you do not go willingly, then I will take your place by force!'

A sword was drawn.

'Guards!'

Morgana heard five loud thumps, then five loud, sickening cracking noises.

A woman screamed inside the room, and Morgana realised for the first time that Gwen must be inside with Arthur.

'SHUT UP!' Mordred's voice thundered, and the scream turned to a whimper.

'What did you do? What the hell did you do?'

'Don't move! I broke their backs. They're still alive, Arthur. They're still suffering. But not as much as you, and your Queen will suffer, do you understand me?'

'But, but you can't have magic- you were blessed, I saw it!'

'WHO told you the blessing would rid me of magic? Oh, that's right- ME.' Mordred laughed manically. 'You were _desperate _to believe me! I knew you were too stupid to even imagine that I would lie to you! The blessing _increased _my power, you idiot, and helped me gain your trust. It killed two birds with one stone. It was like earning the trust of a dog. You feed it what it wants and it trusts you completely.'

Morgana glanced up at Merlin. A muscle was twitching in his jaw, and his fists were clenched.

'But, enough talk, _your highness. _Now you have a decision to make. Step aside. Or die, slowly, painfully.'

There was a long silence. Morgana's hand curled around the hilt of the knife Mordred had stabbed Merlin and herself with.

'I would rather die, than give up on my people.' Arthur said slowly. Morgana peered through the crack in the doors again, this time getting a clear view of the two thrones that sat side-by-side. She saw Gwen take Arthur's hand in her own.

'You will never rule this land.' The Queen said, holding her head high as she stared at Mordred. 'You will never truly be king. These people will never be loyal to you.'

'Is that so?' Mordred sneered.

'Yes. It is.' She said simply.

He laughed. And then he threw a dagger, that flew through the air, and embedded itself in her stomach, pinning her to the throne. Her body slumped over the knife.

'GWEN!' Arthur's scream ripped through the air, as Merlin and Morgana burst through the doors, running at Mordred.

•••

_Sorry, _again _for the wait in between chapters, and the length of this chapter. And the cliffhanger. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I finish writing it! Meantime, reviews are welcome, and thank you all for the follows/favourites/reviews so far! xx_


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